Jay, who has lived in the Waukesha area for nearly 20 years, is an active volunteer who serves on numerous local boards and committees. He’s married to Colleen with three kids having gone through the Waukesha schools. He is the VP of a local distribution company and currently serves on several area Boards.
Just back from a trip to San Francisco and Napa wine country. The Frisco charm and sightseeing provided a great backdrop to our catch-up time with friends from Kansas City. The easy relaxation of the Napa area (and winery tours) allowed ample time for the wives’ shopping forays.
How and why does Midwest Airlines enter this picture?
Midwest (our personal carrier of choice) was exemplary to the success of this vacation. We arrived on time to begin our vacation, and returned home on-time as expected (and hoped for). Luggage retrieval was prompt and convenient in both San Francisco and Milwaukee. But the real “back-story” was our pilot on Sunday’s Flight YX 921…
Boarding the plane in S.F., my wife lamented the passing of the 2-across wide leather seating now only available on “Signature Service” flights. A voice behind us announced, “Don’t give it a thought – you have the best flight crew in the business on-board today!” We turned to see our pilot grinning with the knowledge that he had been heard. We smiled and went to our seats…
The passing of the 3-hour flight was complemented by the tremendous storehouse of interesting knowledge imparted by the very same pilot as we flew eastward. We learned about rivers, dry basins, farming circles, irrigation, North Platte-NE, the Pony Express, even the Oregon Trail. His apologies were sincere when clouds obscured a fair portion of the route and he could not impart even more tidbits. On our layover in Kansas City, he even explained the Morton Salt desalination colored water retention areas visible on final approach to San Fran.
Easily half of the passengers stopped by the cockpit when deplaning to thank this tremendous goodwill ambassador for his efforts in making the time pass. And while we all admired his encyclopedic knowledge, I took a moment to reflect on what separated his comments from prior, typical …”On your left is the Grand Canyon…” flights. It struck me…
This pilot was an educator – not just another “teacher in the air”! This gentleman’s delivery was based on giving us information in a manner we could digest, enjoy, and remember later. He knew his targeted audience and he delivered magnificently! His delivery and content were spaced to avoid over-doing it. The facts he (pardon the pun…) “plucked from thin air” had depth, relevance, and color. One could sense he was getting as much from bringing geography and history to life as we were in enjoying the same.
Writers’ Note: My apologies to all the Catholic nuns at Pius HS who tried, mostly in vain, to force the same material down my throat years ago…
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what can set a local company apart from a multi-national firm. Midwest is fighting, right now, to retain its corporate identity as much as it’s fighting for its life against Trans-Air. This pilot was “proof-positive” of what created and enabled Midwest’s growth through the years – top-flight service! Truly, this was a standout flying experience.
Lastly – The pilot was correct: We did have the “best flight crew in the business.”
And the warm chocolate chip cookies never hurt…
