Southwest Airlines Launches Adopt-A-Pilot Program

More than 2,000 elementary school students in 52 cities across the nation will be adopting their own Southwest Airlines pilot as part of the airline’s 1999 Adopt-A-Pilot program.

The Adopt-A-Pilot program teams a Southwest Airlines pilot with each of 52 classrooms nationwide representing the destinations served by the Texas-based airline. The pilots serve as adult mentors for the students in addition to providing the focal point of the program. Using an official route map, each class will follow its adopted pilot over the course of the four-week program.

The pilots will send updates and flying statistics to his or her class each day that the students will incorporate into the Adopt-A-Pilot curriculum. The classroom materials cover such subjects as math, geography, aviation principles, civics, writing, and research skills. It is the interaction with the pilot, however, that makes the program "fly."

"The Adopt-A-Pilot program is a way for Southwest pilots to relay the many experiences they encounter while flying and to give students a true 'hands-on' perspective of aviation and geography," said Paul Sterbenz, Southwest's vice president of flight operations. "At Southwest, we believe in committing our time and resources to education in every community we serve, and what better resource than the knowledge of our pilots."

According to a recent study by the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, "Research shows that continued corporate prosperity depends on major education change to maintain a highly qualified, competitive workforce." By way of example, the study, published by the U.S. Department of Education, showed that only ten percent of eighth-grade math books in the United States are dedicated to algebra. That percentage is compared with 25 percent dedicated to the subject in Germany and 40 percent in Japan. The study says it is imperative that corporations get involved in providing a "world-class" education to our youth.

"As we continue to grow and implement new technology, we find ourselves in need of a more experienced, more sophisticated Employee," said Libby Sartain, Southwest's vice president of People (or human resources). "Our schools can't do it alone. We see the need, as a company, to be involved in education in order to increase the caliber of potential Employees for Southwest Airlines."

Of course, the program isn't all about creating future Southwest pilots. Feedback from teachers, students, and pilots who participated in the inaugural Adopt-A-Pilot program last year encouraged program organizers to make it available to more classrooms because of its relevance to class subjects, its appeal to students, and the sense of fulfillment it gave to the pilots.

"We all appreciated this program," wrote an Orange County, Calif., teacher who participated last year. "Southwest Airlines has certainly shown how the corporate world can enhance our educational programs."

This year, an additional 100 "solo" pilots will carry the program to classrooms outside of the formal program. Using the same materials and structure, these pilots will fly "solo" by selecting the classroom and time frame that best fit with his or her schedule.
"Entering the classroom and offering a course of study to tomorrow’s leaders is an awesome responsibility," Sterbenz said. "As a Company, we want to do our job well by providing the right mix of valuable knowledge and inspiration to children to pursue their career dreams."

Most of the local Adopt-A-Pilot programs will kick off this week. To accommodate differences in school scheduling, however, some schools will start the program later in the year.

Southwest Airlines, now the nation's fifth largest carrier in terms of Customer boardings, serves 52 cities in 26 states. The airline currently has more than 26,000 Employees and operates more than 2,350 flights a day.

Editor's Notes:

• Photos of Southwest Airlines pilots working with school children are available to news media without charge via NewsCom, www.newscom.com, or by calling 305-448-1236.
• For a list of participating schools, pilots, and schedules please call Southwest Airlines Public Relations at 214-792-4847.
• For a copy of "The Corporate Imperative: Results and Benefits of Business Involvement in Education," please call 877-4ED-PUBS.