Ze Article...
Aspiring pilot gets his job search off the ground
By Trebor Banstetter
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Pilot John Costello has a message for Herb Kelleher, legendary chairman of Southwest Airlines: He really wants a new job.
Costello, 32, applied to the discount airline this year. But he took his plea to the skies Wednesday in hopes of giving himself a boost as airline executives met to make hires.
"Herb-hire pilot John Costello!" read the banner towed behind a hired airplane above Southwest's Dallas headquarters at noon.
Costello said he hoped that the flying billboard, which cost $500, was spotted by the hiring committee.
"Hopefully, they'll see it from the top floor while they're having lunch," said Costello, of Boston, working for a competing airline that he asked not be named "in case the Southwest thing doesn't work out."
The competition is fierce, he said, and "I thought this might help me stand out a little."
Working for Southwest is a "career goal," he said, adding that he could fly for the airline until he retires. "It's one of the best companies to work for anywhere," he said.
He acknowledged with a laugh that the stunt "is a little crazy" and that "if it's going to work anywhere, it's going to work at Southwest," renowned for its relaxed and sometimes goofy culture.
Some of Southwest's goofiness comes about because Southwest tries to hire employees who not only display technical excellence but are also creative and people-focused and work well in teams.
Southwest has always been flooded with applications, but competition has intensified since the debut of the reality television show Airline, which follows the adventures of Southwest employees in Chicago and Los Angeles.
"People do try to stand out," Southwest spokesman Ed Stewart said, "but this is the first time I recall anyone doing anything like this."
Kelleher was in Philadelphia giving a speech and didn't see the banner, "but he'll probably hear about it," Stewart said.
Costello said he expects to learn by the end of the month whether he'll be donning a Southwest pilot uniform. He heard from several Southwest employees Wednesday afternoon, "and everybody seemed to be talking and laughing about it," he said. "That's the reaction I was hoping to get."
Link to article on Startelegram.com
