Southwest Airlines won’t start flying into Denver International Airport until next month, but its station manager, 38-year-old Dave LaPorte, has already arrived.
LaPorte and a crew of about 40 handpicked employees will be on hand to welcome the first planeload of passengers Jan. 3. Once the festivities are over, they’ll move on to serving the carrier’s 13 daily flights to and from Phoenix, Las Vegas and Chicago’s Midway airport.
“There’s a lot of excitement about us going into Denver,” LaPorte said. “It has been a coveted city for a long time for us. Not to mention, Denver’s a great place to live as well.”
LaPorte is moving from his previous post with Southwest at the airport in Manchester, N.H.
Q: What do you think of United and Frontier as competitors?
A: They’re certainly formidable. I don’t know Frontier very well, but United … obviously they’re one of the largest airlines in the world. I’m sure they’re going to be fierce competitors. But we’re Southwest Airlines, and I know we’re up for it.
Q: What have you been doing to prepare?
A: I’ve been interviewing people for supervisor positions. There was a tremendous amount of interest from our existing supervisors.
There’s been a lot of interest from California, from Phoenix, some of our Texas folks. But we’ve also had people come from as far away as Manchester and Providence, (R.I.); Pittsburgh; Tampa, (Fla.).
Our people department did some interviews (in Denver) last week because there is a chance we may be hiring a few part-time people initially. But there’s also going to be a need down the road, and Southwest Airlines builds pools of applicants.
Q: What will your responsibilities be as the new Denver station manager for Southwest?
A: I will oversee the entire operation, including customer service and ramp. I oversee the deicing process, baggage deliveries, manage contracts with our vendors, basically anything that involves the operation.
It’s a great opportunity, not only professionally but also personally. I’m really excited about experiencing the mountains, and(Denver) is a great place to raise my family.
Q: How do your bosses measure your success?
A: I get a yearly performance evaluation on time performance, customer service and baggage handling – the three biggies in the airline industry. But at a low cost carrier like Southwest, we’re also very concerned about cost. We get a monthly score card that shows how much our outside services cost us, what our overtime percentages are.
Q: Where are you from?
A: I was raised in Michigan, and I’ve been with Southwest for 12 1/2 years, in Chicago, Tampa and New Hampshire.
Staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi can be reached at 303-820-1488 or kyamanouchi@denverpost.com.
