Ground Support Worldwide - 22

COVER STORY

"I think my first mentor, in the GSE world
and the aviation business in general, was Dick
Barba," Laney says. "He was who I reported to
at America West Airlines. He was the one who
hired me to take the manager's position.
"We became really close friends, hunting
buddies. We hung out together a lot."
Laney says Barba gathered a lot of wisdom
having come up through the industry in the
early days of Trans World Airlines (TWA).
When he took Laney under his wing, he shared
experiences from his own career.
"I got to learn all aspects of the airline and
how they operate - and from the senior leadership side because he became a VP before I
left," Laney says. "He knocked the rough edges
off me."
Laney is also grateful to Premier for hiring
him at Southwest, helping mentor him and teach
him the ins and outs at Southwest.
"I give those two guys a lot of credit for helping me in my career," Laney says.
Laney's mark on the industry is highlighted
by growth. As Southwest Airlines has grown,
Laney has ensured the GSE has grown with it.
That growth includes more sophisticated equipment, including a
broader range of electric GSE.
"Larry's impact on SWA GSE
has been very broad," Redwine
notes. "During his tenure, we
have gone from a white board
list of assets to an electronic
fleet management system.
We have built a world
class refurb department
for rebuilding older
equipment. We have
built one of the largest
electric equipment
fleets in the industry, taking advantage of numerous
industry grants and
partnerships.
"Under his leadership SWA has partnered with numerous
manufactures
to
develop innovative
solutions for our
business, such as the
hybrid towbarless
tow tractor, a pro-

22 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE

visioning van, electric conventional pushback
tractor, plastic baggage cart and gate PCAir hose
trolley, among others."
Laney recalls the very basic GSE in use 30
years ago.
"You had the Ford 6-cylinder C6 transmission and a Rockwell rear-end. It was just
basic Ford axles and things in the belt-loaders,
the same drivetrain," Laney says. "It was very
simplistic."
Fast-forward to today, Laney points out, and
more than 25 percent of SWA's fleet is electric.
"I'm really impressed with all the manufacturers and what they're doing - from the early
days to what's available today; taking all the
on-road technologies; all the smart transmissions; and all the different ways to control a
vehicle to protect aircraft and our employees
from injuries," he says.
"Certainly, they've done very well as an
industry working with their partners on what
that technology means and the best way to use
it for the end-users," Laney says. "Over the long
haul, I'm very impressed."
Laney recalls an example of his team working
with a manufacturer to build a product. Southwest was buying pushback tractors from FMC,
before the company became JBT. However, FMC
had not made an electric pushback yet.
"We had a shop in Phoenix, where our guys
had actually taken and done many pushback
tractors - some Stewart & Stevenson pushback
tractors, older ones - and took the diesel engines
out and converted them in-house," Laney says.
"We were one of the only airlines, that I know
of, that was very aggressive doing that. So, we
were converting the pushback tractors, diesel
and gas belt-loaders to electric."
He began discussions with FMC about building an electric version of their pushback. Laney
worked with Norm Kosciusko to get the desired
components to FMC's manufacturing sites.
"He said, 'Look, if you guys want to do this,
why don't you send us a rolling chassis with
the axles in it, the steering system in it, minus
the engine. You can send your engineers to our
facility and they can work with our team to
build a tractor,'" Laney says. "We worked real
close together. They worked with our guys in the
Phoenix shop, engineered their own and built
that one. And they probably built us another
hundred after that.
"So, it was a great partnership where I think
it worked out well for both companies."

MAY 2020

The aircraft being serviced with GSE by
ground handlers are large and complex, serving
as a microcosm of the industry itself.
"It's a big machine, an airline," Laney says. "A
lot of moving parts. A lot of people. So, I think
the biggest thing that I've learned is it takes a
great team to make that happen."
Laney has always prioritized people and
building strong, cohesive groups.
"Personally, I think one of the things I'm
good at and give myself credit for is the teams
that I've built while I was at America West and
definitely here at Southwest Airlines," Laney
says. "I think the biggest thing I've learned is
surround yourself with the best people you
can find.
"Get out of their way and support them. Certainly, that has worked for me in my career at
America West and Southwest," he continues,
noting nobody in his line of work runs an airline
or a department by themselves. "It takes a lot of
people to make things happen."
Laney also notes the importance of listening to his team. That has allowed him to learn
people's personalities and put them in a position
to succeed.
Understanding how someone will handle a
role is part of putting a sound plan in place.
And proper planning is crucial when experiencing the type of expansion that has taken place
during Laney's tenure.
"If you have a good core plan, you just keep
growing that plan with the right people and it
works out," he says.
"In all the years of doing it, I'm still amazed at
the complexity of putting everything together,"
he adds. "I certainly have a newfound respect for
those top leaders to be able to pull off what we
do to make those flights go every day.
"People just don't understand behind the
scenes and what it takes."
Like any line of work, challenges are encountered. Laney has navigated his people through
several difficult events, from the terrorist attacks
of Sept. 11, 2001, to economic recessions and the
current COVID-19 pandemic.
"In any crisis, you got to be positive - even
when you're going through a challenging time,"
says Laney, who has been named Team Leader
of the Year twice by Ground Support Worldwide.
"You're going to get through it."
When a crisis ends, Laney says teams come
away stronger and receive a lesson on what can
be accomplished during hard times.

Ground Support Worldwide

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