Ground Support Worldwide - 21

COVER STORY

The director of
ground support
at Southwest
Airlines has been
instrumental in
developing the
GSE department
and advancing
technology to
keep pace with
the airline's
growth.
By Josh Smith

ince making
the leap from
the oil industry
to aviation,
Larry Laney
has accomplished a
great deal - a lifetime's
worth, really.

Beginning as a ground support equipment (GSE) mechanic more than 30 years
ago, Laney worked his way to director of
ground support at Southwest Airlines
(SWA), leaving a lasting impression on the
industry.
"Larry is above all else a man of honesty
and integrity and this is his most admirable characteristic," says Don Redwine, senior
manager of fleet planning, reliability and
warranty at Southwest Airlines. "Larry has
helped me and all of us at SWA to recognize the importance of long-term strategic
planning and patience. Having, and sticking to, a long-term plan until the goal is
accomplished."

Set to retire this spring, Laney has applied
his professional skills and ability to formulate
sound plans to guide his teams through a myriad of experiences.
"Larry is a great mentor and loyal leader,"
Redwine says. "He has given all his direct
reports opportunities to grow and flourish
within the organization. His style is laid back
but never out of touch."
Having applied decades of experience to
develop and expand the GSE fleet to support
Southwest Airlines' growth while positioning
the next wave of leaders for success, Laney has
been recognized with Ground Support Worldwide's 2020 Lifetime Achievement award.

A Change in Career
Aviation has always been in the Laney family's blood. Laney's father had a private pilot's
license, and the town they lived in had a modest
general aviation airport.
"We would go out and just sit there and
watch the airplanes," Laney says. "I kind of
had the airplane bug as a youngster."
But prior to Laney's career in aviation, he
established himself in the oil industry. He
owned a small oil field construction company
in Taft, Calif., but felt the effects of an oil crisis
in 1986. When the business went under, Laney
began looking for a new line of work and a different place to live.
"I took it as an opportunity to make a
change," he explains.
"I was visiting some friends in Phoenix and
looking for some work. That's when, of course,
oil was tanking, so airlines were making a lot
of money because of cheap gas," he recalls. "So,
America West Airlines was growing leaps and
bounds back in those days."
Laney started as a GSE mechanic, working
the midnight shift, for America West Airlines
on April 1, 1986.
"Within a year or two, I went from mechanic
to lead mechanic to supervisor," he says.
Shortly after, America West's manager of the
Phoenix GSE hub, the airline's largest hub, took
a position in Tech Ops.
"It created an opening, and as one of the
supervisors there, I was able to get the position
of manager for GSE for America West Airlines,"
Laney says. "Within a year or so, they rolled all
the shops underneath me. Back then, Phoenix
was the main hub, Vegas was big for us, so we
had a shop there and we eventually opened a

shop in Columbus, Ohio. So, that was the size
of the department.
"The rest of the maintenance was contracted
out at all the smaller stations, besides those
three locations."
It was during his 11 year-tenure at America West Airlines that Laney experienced his
first major challenge in the aviation industry,
working through a bankruptcy during the first
Gulf War.
"As we were parking a percentages of airplanes, we had to lay off the same percentage of
employees. It was a very difficult time," Laney
recalls. "I certainly got to learn a lot, going
through my first crisis in the aviation business.
"We came out the other side a stronger
company."
Soon after, Laney was ready for a change. He
says he had met some of the people at Southwest Airlines, including Bruce Premier, who
was leading the GSE department for SWA.
"He gave me the opportunity to come over
to Southwest Airlines and I jumped on that
opportunity when I had the chance," Laney
says, adding the job included a move to Texas.
Hired on as a foreman on Aug. 1, 1997, Laney
managed the Dallas shop and 11 other cities in
the region. Before long, Laney was promoted
to manager of GSE.
"I was the first manager of GSE, really, for
Southwest Airlines," Laney points out. "I essentially managed the whole system and reported
to him. He was the director over ground support, cargo and central baggage.
"I was the manager running the GSE department and reporting to Bruce."
When Premier was promoted to senior
director, Southwest split up the divisions he
oversaw. That's when Laney was promoted to
director of GSE.
"I've been director of GSE for a little over 20
years for Southwest Airlines," Laney says. "I'm
responsible for all the GSE nationwide, all the
employees, the capital budget for the equipment,
the sell of surplus when we're done - every
aspect of GSE, from it coming in the door until
it leaves, is our responsibility."

A Big Machine
Laney has experienced a lot in his time in aviation and has learned important lessons along
the way. He points out that he has had a number
of influential people help him throughout his
career.

MAY 2020

AviationPros.com

http://www.AviationPros.com

Ground Support Worldwide

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ground Support Worldwide