Author Archives: Sei Fa'Ulao

National Compliment Day

Happy National Compliment Day! We regularly receive emails, phone calls, notes and letters complimenting the incredible team we have here at SkyWest. Here are just a few of the messages we have received highlighting the care and service our people have provided:

Flight 3377 Crew

My four-year-old daughter and I were on flight 3377 from San Jose to San Diego. When we boarded the plane we were sad and full of emotion because we had just said bye to my parents at another gate. They were heading back to India. Both of them are in their late seventies and their health is not good at all. Consumed by the emotion, and not thinking clearly, we had left my daughter’s backpack at the gate and boarded our flight. When we got to our seats, I realized we didn’t have her bag. I let the flight attendant, Shannon, know and she actually offered to watch my daughter while I ran back to get the bag. I was floored at her kindness! I got the bag and re-boarded the plane to find the pilots, Eric and Kevin, in the flight deck talking to my daughter and showing her around with Shannon. I was almost in tears at the kindness! And as a father of a daughter, who wants her to believe that she can be anything she wants to be, including being a pilot, I appreciated just how AMAZING these two pilots and Shannon were! As if that weren’t enough, upon take-off, Eric made an announcement welcoming us by name, and Shannon brought over a bar of chocolate from the crew.

This crew had no idea about what we were going through with our family, but they made such an impact on us, and especially on my four-year-old daughter. For a little while, they took away her sadness from saying goodbye to her aging grandparents, and made her appreciate and enjoy the incredible kindness of your staff.

Mason City, Iowa (MCW) Team

Rave to the United Airlines crew at MCW. Had a 1.5-hour delay taking off due to mechanical. They explained everything, made anxious passengers feel calm, and gave complimentary water and snacks while we waited. When the green light was given, they got us on the plane and got the flight out in record time.

Flight Attendant Rebekah M.

Our experience on this last flight with our flight attendant, Rebekah, was extraordinary! My wife and I were upgraded to first class and our adult son, with learning disabilities, sat alone in coach. The three of us decided to do this as he wants to be independent, and this was a good chance for him to fly independently – 10 rows behind us. My son was super nervous, and my wife and I were frazzled. Rebekah read the situation, gave him an extra snack, checked in on him, and ferried messages back and forth. She respected his desire for independence but also provided a safety net for him. No one told her about his learning disabilities and a lot of people can’t see it because he is really good at hiding them.Rebekah assured us that this was just part of her job. I’m a teacher and I hear what she is saying, but this was way beyond what we can reasonably expect. This experience made a huge difference on our flight, our day, and the entire trip.

First Officer Justin S.

I would like to recognize one of your SkyWest Pilots. His name is Justin. He assisted a wheelchair passenger who was pushed to the wrong gate. He happened to be at A6, where the passenger was pushed to but she really needed to board and fly out of B5. He pushed her from A6 to B5. He didn’t have to push her but he did. I appreciate his willingness to assist.

Flight Attendant Grace C.

I want to recognize one of your flight attendants, Grace C., for the unique and personal approach she took to say, “Thank you.”

Boarding my flight was routine as usual, I found my seat and sat down. Once in the air, the flight attendant took drink orders and served them to us as usual. Time passed and I happened to look down at my napkin and noticed handwriting. Of course, I was curious, and I picked it up to read…I was curious and motioned to the flight attendant and asked if she wrote the note. She told me that she had. I was stunned. I informed her that in all my years of flying, this was the most personal, and unexpected approach I had ever seen. The fact that she took her time to write a note on every napkin is above and beyond, and should be recognized. I am hoping that Grace knows that I appreciate the outstanding approach to customer service.

SkyWest OCC Team

Thank you to the SkyWest OCC team for sharing their expertise and helping to get our students excited about aviation! Our K-5th graders were taught weather patterns and helped make clouds with a hands-on experiment. What a great way to share the love of aviation with our kids.

Every day our amazing SkyWest teams are providing exceptional service to thousands of passengers on more than 1,700 daily flights. If you’re ready to join our team, click here to see the open positions that are available right now.

Recognizing A War Hero

SkyWest crewmembers Captain Jai Patel, First Officer Brian Osias and flight attendants Janae Hilton and Brenda Garrett recently had the chance to welcome August Sterling, onboard an American Eagle flight from Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH) to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). August was a frogman for the U.S. Navy in 1951 and a Korean War Veteran. This flight was his first air flight and was taken to celebrate his 90th birthday with his family in Dallas.

During the Korean War, August was captured by the Korean Army while setting charges to a bridge they were about to destroy.

“When we came up from the water, we were shocked and surprised. It was something to behold. They shot in the water to scare us and so we couldn’t swim away. We couldn’t escape the bullets in the water, so we gave in.”

Out of the five frogmen, only two survived. They were kept in prison for over two and a half years.

“They would beat us 25 hours a day, and we don’t have 25 hours in a day,” said August. “They didn’t stop trying to get information out of us. Asking us for everything we knew and all we would reply with was our name, rank and serial number.”

Finally with the war over, President Dwight Eisenhower negotiated a prisoner exchange, releasing August Sterling and others. He had two broken legs, a broken arm and had to have a metal plate surgically implanted. After being released from the POW camp in Korea, he was sent back to Lake Charles to be treated at St. Patrick’s Hospital.

We are honored to have the chance to celebrate August Sterling on his 90th birthday and we are forever grateful for his service to our country.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

Over the last 30 days, we’ve heard stories from SkyWest people that have shed light on the Hispanic culture and how their culture has shaped their stories. As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, we have several more stories to share:

Alfonso Giron Deola – CRJ Captain, ORD
Christian Alvarado Lopez – CRJ First Officer, ORD

Captain Alfonso Giron Deola and First Officer Christian Alvarado Lopez are both from Guatemala City. Captain Giron Deola started at SkyWest more than five years ago and last month was the first time he has flown with someone from his home country. Flying together was an honor for both of them.

In 2017, Christian came to America with an M1 visa to study in Miami, Florida. He worked tirelessly to be able to become a SkyWest pilot.

“SkyWest is an airline that does not judge where you come from, your color, or your ethnicity,” said First Officer Alvarado Lopez. “And I hope to meet more Hispanic pilots throughout my career here.”

Elide Flores – Flight Attendant, LAX

Elide Flores is a second-generation immigrant. Her parents came from Mexico in their early 20s with hopes for a better life.

After joining the SkyWest team earlier this year, Elide was assigned Chicago (ORD) as her base. Her parents are protective and coming from a tightknit, Latina family, they wanted Elide to stay in Phoenix where they live and find a job close to home. Telling her parents she was moving across the country came as a shock to them.

“I insisted that this is exactly what I want and what I signed up for,” said Elide. “I’ve been in ORD for three months and I absolutely love it!”

This is the first time Elide has been away from her family for long periods of time and she is slowly becoming used to it. She keeps in touch with her parents and updates them on her overnight trips.

“Being a daughter of immigrants and having the opportunity to work in an industry where there aren’t as many Latinos is awesome,” said Elide. “I get to be a role model for the Latin passengers who are aspiring flight attendants.”

At the end of the day, Elide knows the sacrifices her parents made to get to this country were worth it. She wouldn’t change it for anything.

Learn how you can join our incredible team by visiting our careers page today.

SkyWest Celebrates Pride

One of our San Francisco-based flight attendants celebrated Pride in a very special way this month. Veronica Rojas was on an Alaska mainline flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles when she surprised her girlfriend, Alejandra, with a proposal at 30,000 feet in the air. Alejandra, a new Alaska Airlines pilot, said yes, but there was a twist. She was also planning to propose to Veronica the same day. Watch the video that Alaska captured on this unforgettable flight.

“All the love and support is just super overwhelming and amazing,” said Veronica.

Throughout the month we’ve also heard from several other employees about what Pride Month means to them and how they are celebrating.

“Pride Month means more than just supporting those in the LGBTQ+ community, but support for everyone regardless of their sexual orientation, religion, gender, race, national origin etc.,” said Matt Taft. “It’s a month where I stand in support for equality for everyone; everyone deserves to be treated equal, and everyone deserves to be loved the same.”

“Not only do members of the LGBTQ+ community come together,” said Greg Smith. “But, this is also an opportunity to welcome others in the celebration of equal rights.”

As part of Pride Month SkyWest’s beWell program has also provided an LGBTQ+ Ally Guide to help us all become better colleagues, friends, partners and allies. And you can find advice, inspiration and support from people who are on a similar journey in the Sanvello Pride Community.

At SkyWest we are proud to recognize Pride Month. No matter who you are or what you believe, you’re an important part of the team.

Happy Father’s Day

Happy Father’s Day to all our SkyWest dads and to the fathers who helped inspire us to follow our dreams! Here’s what a few SkyWest people had to say about the dads in their lives in honor of Father’s Day.

Alec Wheeler – ERJ Captain (BOI)

“My dad has been my inspiration to fly since my very first flight lesson. We have encouraged each other through thick and thin. Having the opportunity to operate a professional flight deck with him is the highlight of my career! Thanks for everything, Dad!”

Russell Fields Jr. – Mechanic III (FWA)

“When I was a kid, my dad would take me to work with him and my favorite part of the day would be watching the mechanics doing maintenance on the aircraft. This early introduction from my dad is why I decided to be a mechanic. We’ve both been at SkyWest for a couple years now and it’s great to now work alongside him. Working with my dad pushes me to be a better mechanic because he shows me every day to be the best in everything I do. It definitely makes for an interesting job. Happy Father’s Day Dad.”

Dylan Bechtold – ERJ Captain (SLC)

“Some of my earliest memories are of flying with my dad and other pilots when he went out on flight training trips. I remember going to the sim when I was a kid and being able to “fly” the plane with him. It was the most fun I had as a kid and it sparked a love for aviation that I’ve carried through into my career here at SkyWest. Ever since then I’ve always wanted to fly and to one day be like him. My dad has always pushed me to do what makes me happy and has helped me along the way. I am so lucky to have been able to work with him in the sim and in the air in my professional career, and I’m so grateful for all the help he’s given me throughout the years. Happy Father’s Day Dad!”