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Southwest Headquarters Tour

katherinemichel.github.io

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Re: Southwest Headquarters Tour

#101

Post by Stratoscope »

KatiMichel wrote: post #67
Stratoscope wrote: post #66

When I was a very young kid in Eugene, Oregon, we always kept a supply of Chet's Tamales in the freezer. They always had one black olive hidden somewhere in the middle. It wasn't just a tamale, it was a treasure hunt! In first grade, we took a field trip to Chet's factory. It was so interesting to see how they made tamales in quantity–and they sent us each home with a free tamale. Another Oregon treat is Tillamook ch…

These are gems. Bookmarking them to do someday if they still exist!

Chet's Tamales are long gone, and La Terra Fina was a private tour. I had to wear a hair net, face mask, long white overcoat, and overboots.

But the Tillamook cheese and ice cream factory is going strong, and one Google review says it's a great experience.

It would be fun to compile a list of places like this that offer tours to the public!

Re: Southwest Headquarters Tour

#102

Post by mfkp »

pants2 wrote: post #47

TIL that pilots can't have a full beard because oxygen masks can't make a seal. Guess that's where the pilot moustache stereotype comes from.

This actually isn't the case anymore, plenty of non-US airlines allow beards and the new masks still provide perfect oxygen flow. It's more of a "professional image" thing in the US.

Re: Southwest Headquarters Tour

#103

Post by HaZeust »

KatiMichel wrote: post #33
ivraatiems wrote: post #29

A few years ago, I got a tour of Starbucks headquarters from a friend. One thing I didn't expect: it's literally filled with rooms where people just taste coffee, all day, every day, to make sure it's what it's supposed to be. It's crazy how even something which feels mediocre so much of the time - fast-food coffee, a budget airline - requires an enormous amount of human effort to pull off reliably. (And yes, you can…

I would love to tour a coffee company (or a chocolate company). Two of my favorite things. :)

Highly recommend Hammond's in Denver CO as an amazing FREE candy/chocolate factory tour:

https://hammondscandies.com/products/hammonds-factory-tour

https://hammondscandies.com/pages/factory-tours-new

Re: Southwest Headquarters Tour

#104

Post by KatiMichel »

oe wrote: post #86

I find it fascinating how with flight attendants there’s such a gap between what your everyday work is and what you need to know. Like every flight is just normal, but then once a career you might find yourself in a plane that’s now upside down on the tarmac and need to evacuate it in one minute. And they manage to do that.

I had the same thought. I had no idea before the tour the extent to which they have to master the emergency skills, despite probably never needing to use it. On the other hand, passengers don't have to practice, but I sometimes hear it be said that you shouldn't assume a flight attendant will be there to help you in the event of an emergency!

Re: Southwest Headquarters Tour

#105

Post by KatiMichel »

timdiggerm wrote: post #90

> Ask them about the chickens hanging from the bottom. Maybe you should tell me about the chickens, since I am unlikely to ever get to ask anyone at Southwest HQ.

A worker was superstitious and wanted to hang rubber chickens from the bottom of the full-motion simulators. IIRC, one was hung beneath a simulator, then removed, and the simulator stopped working. So, the management caved and allowed rubber chickens to be hung beneath all of them. That worker had a simulator dedicated to him and they put two rubber chickens under that one.

Re: Southwest Headquarters Tour

#106

Post by sephamorr »

schoen wrote: post #100
geostupid wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you kindly elaborate on the "afraid of heights" aspect? Was there a lot of catwalks or anything of that nature?

There is one part where you are invited to walk on a catwalk that's very high up (an outdoor staircase sort of like a fire escape). My recollection is that walking on it is not mandatory for the tour, but I'm not absolutely certain of that. You're also invited, but not required, to look over the edge of the dam from the top, which is also very far down.

This is correct. If you don't like heights, that's definitely not a reason to skip the tour, but you'll miss out on one piece (that I enjoyed).
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