Southwest Airlines Names Vice President of Maintenance & Engineering

Southwest Airlines has named Jim Sokol, 38, to the office of vice president of maintenance and engineering. His primary responsibilities will be ensuring the safety and reliability of the aircraft and providing a good work environment for his Employees.

"The environment at Southwest Airlines is outstanding," Sokol said, "and the potential is unlimited."

Sokol brings with him a commitment to carry on with the overall goal of Southwest Airlines: safety, reliability, and providing ontime performance for Customers.

Sokol also hopes to provide a positive environment for his Employees whom he feels are unique to Southwest.

"The open attitude of our Employees makes a lot of things possible here that aren't possible at other companies," Sokol said.

As Southwest Airlines moves into the new millennium, Sokol sees maintenance resources as more automated and user friendly. He believes a significant part of the maintenance department's success will be the ability to provide "real time" information to the mechanics.

Sokol was born in Wilmington, Delaware and earned his airframe and power plant (A & P) certificate from Embry Riddle. Since joining Southwest Airlines in October 1994, Sokol has held several key leadership positions, culminating with his promotion last year to director of quality. Prior to joining Southwest, Sokol worked with Dalfort Aviation services, a contracted vendor of the airline, starting as an A & P mechanic and working his way up to various leadership positions.

According to statistics published annually by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Southwest Airlines has a rich history of meeting or exceeding Customer expectations. Southwest has had the best ontime performance for the last seven consecutive years and has ranked number one in Customer Satisfaction for the last eight consecutive years.

Southwest Airlines has been named a charter member of the International Airline Passengers Association's Honor Roll of Airlines among the World's Safest Airlines. Southwest also has been recognized as one of the world's safest airlines by Conde Nast Traveler, a national magazine that specializes in information for business and leisure travelers.