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Southwest surprises Spirit pilot with water canon salute after career ends abruptly · Cultural Wars | America Out Loud News

• 0:09
  You're listening to the Hidden Lightness on America Out Loud Talk Radio.
• 0:12
  I'm your host, Jimmy Hinton.
• 0:14
  Well, I want to talk about Spirit Airlines because that was a really sad close to Spirit and a big blow to aviation as a whole.
• 0:25
  It certainly was a big blow to people who enjoy uh budget uh airlines, and I've flown Spirit plenty.
• 0:34
  Uh in fact, Spirit was the only airline back in the day that uh that was flying into northern Haiti.
• 0:42
  And I always thought they had really nice airplanes.
• 0:46
  Uh, they were always, at least the ones that I rode were always air buses, and they were in very good condition.
• 0:55
  In fact, my opinion is uh they were newer and nicer than most of the most of the major airlines, and so it wasn't like a budget airline where uh you're riding uh an old jalopy that's fallen apart and has duct tape on the windows, and yes, I did ride an airplane before that had duct tape around a window.
• 1:20
  Uh that was kind of an interesting ride, but anyway, uh it's it's a budget airline or was a budget airline, and it it really was a tragic end to Spirit Airline.
• 1:35
  We have a local airport, a regional airport that is fueled by Spirit Airlines, and they've been putting articles out.
• 1:45
  It's it's the uh Arnold Palmer Airport.
• 1:49
  I've flown in and out of there many times, and it's a fantastic airport.
• 1:54
  Absolutely love the Arnold Palmer Airport, and it's uh I think currently closed down.
• 2:03
  So they're trying to figure out what they're gonna do, and of course, all the layoffs.
• 2:09
  A lot of people lost their jobs, and it's just sad.
• 2:13
  It's it's a sad day for America, and it came to an abrupt end.
• 2:20
  They were in negotiations with with the government, those negotiations failed, and from there, Spirit just at three o'clock in the morning, sent a memo out to all of their pilots and said, This is your last flight.
• 2:38
  All flights are grounded.
• 2:41
  And uh there were some heartwarming things that came out of this, and that's of course what we're gonna focus on.
• 2:47
  Uh, there's one story in particular that's just absolutely fantastic, and that is a pilot, a Spirit Airlines pilot who was retiring, and uh this was supposed to be his last flight, and isn't that ironic?
• 3:02
  Uh man, just so ironic.
• 3:06
  His last flight was supposed to be on Saturday, and just hours before his last flight, he gets the memo.
• 3:15
  Nope.
• 3:16
  All flights grounded.
• 3:19
  So he didn't get to get a retirement until another airline stepped up and gave him a proper retirement.
• 3:28
  So we'll talk about that because that's a really really cool story.
• 3:32
  But I want to back up for just a minute because I want to talk about Elizabeth Warren's uh hand in all this.
• 3:41
  Now, you may have heard President Trump was kind of pointing fingers at this, and of course, people are pointing fingers at President Trump on the left because it's the high fuel prices, right?
• 3:52
  It's the it's the cost of jet fuel that puts Spirit Airlines out of business.
• 3:56
  It's the war.
• 3:57
  The war did it.
• 3:59
  Well, that's not entirely true.
• 4:01
  Spirit Airlines has been in trouble for a long time, financial trouble.
• 4:06
  They filed for bankruptcy, I believe, twice, and they were trying to get a merger deal between Jet Blue and Spirit Airlines, and that's where Senator Warren, Elizabeth Warren, she tweeted out excitedly, is a Biden win for flyers.
• 4:30
  All right.
• 4:31
  So this was in 2024, after the Biden administration blocked the merger between JetBlue and Spirit Airlines.
• 4:41
  See, that's the context.
• 4:43
  She wasn't excited that there was a talk of a merger.
• 4:46
  She was excited that the Biden administration had blocked the merger between JetBlue and Spirit Airlines.
• 4:53
  She said this is a Biden win for flyers.
• 4:59
  How is this?
• 5:02
  Well, I guess she's right.
• 5:06
  I had to think I had to think through this for a second, so bear with me.
• 5:10
  She's actually right.
• 5:16
  But it's not a win for flyers.
• 5:29
  And now they have to scramble and try to figure out what what they're going to do now.
• 5:33
  That's not a win for them.
• 5:35
  It's not a win for all the people who got stranded.
• 5:38
  Thousands and thousands of people who got stranded and had to find different airlines to get back home, including in different countries.
• 6:02
  If we don't want to travel heavy with a bunch of baggage, uh, you could fly Spirit.
• 6:10
  When I would fly, this is the thing.
• 6:12
  When I would fly Spirit, with the exception to uh to Haiti, when I would fly Spirit, I would literally just wear the clothes that I had on my back.
• 6:22
  I wouldn't even bring a backpack.
• 6:24
  I'd go like I did quick trips, and it was great for that.
• 6:29
  Because it was like half the cost of of other airlines.
• 6:34
  And I'm like, man, if I'm just doing a quick trip, if I'm just going and doing a speaking engagement and coming right back home, I would flip trips in a day.
• 6:43
  I wouldn't even stay overnight.
• 6:45
  It was fantastic for flying those trips.
• 6:49
  Absolutely wonderful.
• 6:50
  And that's exactly what it was designed for.
• 6:52
  It was designed to be a cheaper option for the American people.
• 6:58
  And they kept their prices low by charging people for every single extra.
• 7:00
  Is low by charging people for every single extra.
• 7:05
  Well, if you don't care about the extras, which I didn't.
• 7:05
  Well, if you don't care about the extras, which I didn't.
• 7:10
  I wasn't going to pay for snacks.
• 7:10
  I wasn't going to pay for snacks.
• 7:12
  I wasn't going to pay for drinks on a one and a half hour flight.
• 7:12
  I wasn't going to pay for drinks on a one and a half hour flight.
• 7:18
  Certainly didn't care about luggage.
• 7:18
  Certainly didn't care about luggage.
• 7:22
  Yeah.
• 7:22
  Yeah, so if if you didn't have to pay extra for all that stuff, you could get really cheap tickets.
• 7:22
  So if if you didn't have to pay extra for all that stuff, you could get really cheap tickets.
• 7:30
  Well, the Biden administration didn't.
• 7:32
  They didn't like that.
• 7:33
  They didn't like that merger, and so they blocked it.
• 7:37
  Which I think is just a really awful, awful thing.
• 7:42
  So anyway, Elizabeth Wern, here's an article here.
• 7:46
  This just dropped a couple days ago.
• 7:51
  This on National Review.
• 7:53
  Elizabeth Wern's jaw dropping dishonesty on Spirit Airlines.
• 7:59
  And by the way, you might have heard rumors that Elizabeth Wern dumped all of her spirit stock two weeks before the airline went out of business.
• 8:09
  Well, that's not true.
• 8:10
  That's uh that was on a satire website, and people just took that and ran with that.
• 8:16
  So you really have to be careful what what news sources you get information from.
• 8:23
  Because I had people sending me that, and they were like, oh, look, look what Elizabeth Wern did.
• 8:28
  She here's more insider trading.
• 8:30
  It's not a true story.
• 8:34
  It simply did not happen.
• 8:37
  But that doesn't mean that she's not doing insider trading, because um you can clearly see that with uh with a lot of her trading, as with a lot of other politicians.
• 8:48
  But anyway, I'll read a little bit of this article.
• 8:50
  Last week, however, Spirit prepared, as Spirit prepared to close its doors, Warren struck a different note.
• 8:57
  Quote the big four airlines, American Delta Southwest United, she lamented, control 75% of the U.S.
• 9:08
  market.
• 9:09
  Fewer choices equals higher prices for you.
• 9:13
  So it's this kind of dishonesty, right?
• 9:16
  Uh, well, that that's just that's a that's a lose lose for the flyers.
• 9:23
  That's a win-win for for the airlines, these major airlines.
• 9:27
  They they make up whatever percent 75% of the U.S.
• 9:32
  market, fewer choices, higher prices for you.
• 9:36
  Well, then don't block it.
• 9:41
  Don't block these kinds of deals, Elizabeth Wern.
• 9:47
  You know, it's just uh the dishonesty is astounding, and uh it's just it's it's craziness.
• 9:53
  So anyway, Spirit Airlines came to an abrupt close.
• 9:57
  Now, here's the cool story, and this is what I love about these types of industries.
• 10:04
  So it's aviation, the transportation industry.
• 10:08
  I I witnessed these kinds of things constantly, routinely in the transportation industry, and I know that the aviation is industry is is very, very similar.
• 10:18
  Um, so here we go.
• 10:20
  Spirit Airlines pilot gives speech at Southwest Gate after Airline ceases operations.
• 10:28
  This is K4.com, FOR.
• 10:34
  A retiring Spirit Airlines pilot got a stendoff from an unlikely group of fans over the weekend after his airline abruptly ceased operations.
• 10:43
  Captain John Jackson, who was planning to operate his last flight for Spirit on Saturday, was instead forced to fly as a passenger on a return trip operated by Southwest Airlines when Spirit announced it was going out of business after 34 years, according to Southwest.
• 11:05
  Jackson's son, a Southwest pilot, who was also on the flight with his father, had relayed the situation to the cockpit crew during the trip home.
• 11:17
  The crew then alerted a Southwest dispatcher, setting into motion a plan that resulted in a proper retirement party when the flight landed in Baltimore.
• 11:29
  A video shared by Southwest on Saturday showed Jackson stepping off the jetway to a round of applause from Southwest's ground operations crew at the Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
• 11:46
  Then they handed him a bottle of what appeared to be champagne and urged him to make a speech.
• 12:20
  After ground crews learned that it was transporting home a retiring Spirit Airlines pilot.
• 12:26
  That was on Saturday, May 2nd.
• 12:29
  And uh this is what I'm talking about.
• 12:32
  This is what America is all about.
• 12:36
  I mean, how cool is this?
• 12:40
  How incredibly cool.
• 12:44
  This is exactly what America is all about.
• 12:49
  We care for each other.
• 12:51
  It doesn't matter that that you belong to a different airline.
• 12:57
  It doesn't matter that your airline is going out of business.
• 13:04
  What matters is we're all together.
• 13:08
  We all take care of each other, we all praise each other and support each other and encourage each other.
• 13:16
  And so we see this over and over and over again.
• 13:19
  And uh this is no exception to that.
• 13:24
  I mean, this is this is routine, and uh you gotta hear the uh I'll play this after the uh the break here.
• 13:32
  But the chatter between air traffic control, the other pilots, and and spirit pilots, uh it was really heartwarming, and you could tell it was kind of somber, and uh people were kind of they were sad that Spirit was uh coming to a close, everybody was sad about it, but they were super encouraging, and that and they just told the uh spirit pilots, they're like, man, uh listen, we feel for you guys.
• 13:59
  You guys have been great, you guys are wonderful pilots, and you you've just been so wonderful.
• 14:00
  You guys are wonderful pilots, and you you've just been so wonderful.
• 14:06
  And it's really cool because you know, it's not like Spirit quietly just kind of went out of business.
• 14:06
  And it's really cool because you know it's not like Spirit quietly just kind of went out of business.
• 14:13
  They were given a full salute by the other pilots, by the air traffic control, by uh by virtually everybody in aviation.
• 14:13
  They were given a full salute by the other pilots, by the air traffic control, by uh by virtually everybody in aviation, and it's it's really heartwarming.
• 14:23
  And it's it's really heartwarming.
• 14:26
  And again, that's what this nation is all about.
• 14:26
  And again, that's what this nation is all about.
• 14:29
  And I have no doubt that those pilots will find other employment.
• 14:34
  There is a very big shortage of pilots.
• 14:40
  A tremendous shortage of pilots.
• 14:44
  So I'm not overly worried that they're not gonna find employment.
• 14:51
  I think absolutely they'll find employment.
• 14:54
  And they'll be alright.
• 14:57
  Uh other people are gonna see to that.
• 15:01
  But it's just it it's it's sad to me when you have politicians who they have the power to block these kinds of mergers for these private companies.
• 15:13
  And it really stinks.
• 15:14
  It's not fair, it's not right.
• 15:18
  So yeah, Elizabeth Warren celebrating.
• 15:21
  And then pretending like she didn't celebrate a couple of years ago.
• 15:25
  This is a huge win for the Biden administration.
• 15:30
  Yeah, then the airline goes out of business.
• 15:32
  Oh, these big these big four, they're stealing 75%, 75% of the business equals higher prices for the flyer.
• 15:43
  Well, you can't have it both ways.
• 15:47
  You really can't.
• 15:49
  And that's what's so infuriating about all this.
• 15:53
  It's just the dishonesty.
• 15:56
  And I wish politicians would just be honest and and just be like, hey, I I spoke out of turn.
• 16:04
  Um I shouldn't have celebrated the merger.
• 16:06
  We shouldn't have blocked the merger.
• 16:10
  And had we not blocked the merger, Spirit Airlines would still be live today.
• 16:16
  Right?
• 16:17
  Like, I I think people would actually respect that.
• 16:20
  I don't think people would point fingers.
• 16:22
  I think people would be like, hey, thank you for being honest.
• 16:28
  But lo and behold, that's not what we get.
• 16:33
  Well, at any rate, we are coming up on a break here.
• 16:37
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• 19:16
  Spirit Airlines came to an abrupt close over the weekend, and at three o'clock in the morning, the pilots had a uh uh basically a message that came across their uh their messaging system and said, as of three o'clock, um all flights are done.
• 19:41
  Now, I told you about this exchange between air traffic control and other pilots, and the it this was the last spirit plane up in the up in the air, the last one to land.
• 19:52
  It was flight NK 183.
• 19:56
  And it it's a little bit hard to hear because of course it's it's over the radio, and uh so it's it's always muffled and uh hard to hear.
• 20:06
  Uh that was one of the things that always annoyed me driving truck, like trying to hear things over the CB radio and and and and hear it with clarity.
• 20:14
  It was always really frustrating, but uh uh but anyway, you'll get the gist of it.
• 20:19
  But this is a really really cool exchange, and uh I'll I'll give you a nutshell of what they're saying here after you hear the audio.
• 20:28
  Here it is.
• 20:55
  Uh what I don't think anything.
• 21:02
  I I don't like you guys going on here on hell.
• 21:07
  That's like the last thing I've got to be on here.
• 21:10
  Uh you might be the last one.
• 21:14
  Yeah, that's uh pleasure working guys and I wouldn't need a bath.
• 21:22
  Thank you very much.
• 21:26
  Alright, so uh in case you you didn't
• 21:26
  Alright.
• 21:27
  So in case you you didn't hear all that, the one pilot gets on.
• 21:32
  He's like, hey Spirit, uh, just want to know what you to know we'd appreciate you guys.
• 21:36
  And uh, yeah, it's just like a uh a tip in the hat to this pilot.
• 21:44
  And the pilot said, Yeah, I I I appreciate that.
• 21:47
  Then they were talking about the the landing, the wind and all that stuff.
• 21:51
  And the uh the pilot says, hey, air traffic control, are are we the last ones?
• 21:58
  Are we the last ones to land?
• 22:00
  And he looks, and he's like, uh, he's like, I think I see an Air Continental coming in after you.
• 22:06
  So yeah, you guys, you guys might be it.
• 22:08
  You're the last one.
• 22:10
  And uh then he kind of gave a it was a little bit hard to hear what the pilot said, but uh he's basically was saying, uh, this is it, uh, this is it for us.
• 22:24
  And that's when air traffic control said, you know, it's it's truly been an honor to work with you guys, and uh again, air traffic control and the other pilots were tipping their hats to them.
• 22:36
  So uh just a very, very heartwarming, heartwarming exchange, and it just shows the greatness of America.
• 22:46
  Uh, we truly, truly, truly are blessed.
• 22:49
  Uh, we have such a great nation, and this is what I'm talking about.
• 22:54
  Nobody except except for, except for Elizabeth Warren, and people like her, nobody wants to see the demise of any airline or any business.
• 23:10
  You know, if if if there's a business that's legitimately contributing to America and helping Americans out, and giving them a sense of dignity and honor.
• 23:28
  Nobody wants to steal the clothes, nobody wants to see them close their door.
• 23:33
  Uh, but Elizabeth Warren, yeah, there's a big win for the Biden administration.
• 23:38
  Talking about the jet blue and and spirit mergers that didn't happen.
• 23:45
  It's a big win for flyers, big win for the Biden administration.
• 23:49
  No, it's not.
• 23:52
  That that was a sad day.
• 23:56
  And and it's sad too.
• 23:57
  It's very sad to me that the government couldn't come up with the with a deal with Spirit Airlines.
• 24:06
  Uh it's just it's it's it's heartbreaking.
• 24:09
  And you can hear it.
• 24:10
  You can hear it in the pilots' voices.
• 24:12
  Even though it's really difficult to to understand what they're saying there, like you can hear the sadness in their voices.
• 24:21
  And other pilots too from other airlines are like, hey, it's you know, it's it's a shame what happened.
• 24:26
  I just want you guys to know that basically they're saying we we we love you guys, and uh it's been an honor working with you.
• 24:37
  So, yeah, it's I don't know, kind of kind of craziness, but uh these are the kinds of things that make us uniquely American.
• 24:48
  Uh it makes us proud of who we are.
• 24:54
  Proud of each other, proud of other businesses.
• 24:58
  You know, I watched so many videos.
• 25:00
  Um there's one that was epic.
• 25:04
  Uh I just I love his videos.
• 25:07
  Uh Juan is he's just a cool dude, cool social media influencer.
• 25:13
  And uh he goes around and gives businesses money.
• 25:18
  Like he he brings a whole bunch of people to these struggling mom and pop businesses, and they just like flood them with people.
• 25:28
  And he came into a couple of businesses, and they were like, why are you why are you giving us so much money?
• 25:36
  Like he would tip them hundreds of dollars.
• 25:39
  And they'd be like, Why are you giving us so much money?
• 25:41
  Can you please go down the street and help this other business out?
• 25:45
  Like they've been struggling, and we just really we we love supporting other businesses on on this street.
• 25:53
  I'm like, man, this is uh it's so cool, and you see this everywhere.
• 25:57
  I live in a small town with small businesses, and I can tell you, every single business helps other businesses out, even the big businesses, like they're all helping each other out.
• 26:11
  And not one business is trying to run the other business out of business and trying to run them off of the block, and they don't talk bad about other businesses.
• 26:21
  It's the polar opposite, the exact polar opposite.
• 26:28
  They're gracious, they're kind, they're supportive.
• 26:36
  Uh other businesses patronize other businesses, like they'll go, they'll walk to the next business from one business, the business owner will walk over to the next business and and purchase something just to give them some some business.
• 26:50
  Like it's really cool.
• 26:53
  And those are this is one of the things that frustrates me about politicians being in control of mergers.
• 27:03
  Like they're the ones that control the strings, and a lot of these people have never run businesses a day in their life, or if they have, the only thing that they've run is they've run something into the ground.
• 27:16
  And they're the ones making the decisions, and then you have the Elizabeth Warrens laughing about it.
• 27:21
  Like this is a big win for the Biden administration.
• 27:25
  Failed merger.
• 27:28
  And talking about how these big businesses, the big airlines, they're creating a monopoly.
• 27:43
  Well, then why why didn't you do something about it when you had the chance?
• 27:48
  I mean, this is the frustrating thing that we face all the time with these politicians, these know it alls.
• 27:56
  So, yeah, the American people know better.
• 27:59
  Uh, it's just unfortunate that these people keep getting elected.
• 28:00
  It's just unfortunate that these people keep getting elected.
• 28:03
  I mean, that's the downside.
• 28:03
  I mean, that's the downside.
• 28:04
  They keep getting elected, and they keep doing more and more damage.
• 28:04
  They keep getting elected and they keep doing more and more damage.
• 28:10
  And at some point, I wish the American people would wake up and be like, hey, this this is not acceptable.
• 28:10
  And at some point, I wish the American people would wake up and be like, hey, this is not acceptable.
• 28:18
  Like, this is not okay.
• 28:18
  Like, this is not okay.
• 28:21
  But lo and behold, uh it's I digress.
• 28:21
  But lo and behold, um, it's I digress.
• 28:29
  Uh
• 28:29
  Uh I I'm at a loss for words.
• 28:33
  I'm in an absolute loss for words.
• 28:35
  Because I love spirit airlines.
• 28:37
  I really legitimately loved spirit airlines.
• 28:42
  I thought they were fantastic.
• 28:43
  I thought they were um they were very good at doing business.
• 28:48
  They were always courteous.
• 28:51
  And I think they just got a bad rap.
• 28:55
  They just got a bad deal from bad politicians.
• 29:00
  So the the heartwarming thing, and that's the hidden lightness in all this, is that other pilots stepped into action.
• 29:11
  Other pilots tipped their hats.
• 29:14
  Other pilots made sure that a retiring Spirit Airlines pilot got a proper retirement.
• 29:21
  And Spirit Airlines, unfortunately, I don't think could do that.
• 29:27
  You know, they were in the middle of a big hot mess, and I don't think it was possible for them to give a proper retirement.
• 29:37
  And uh, you know, this this poor pilot, he he's he's coming home.
• 29:42
  Uh, he can't even fly home.
• 29:45
  He can't fly his own airplane home.
• 29:48
  He has to hitch a ride on a different airline, and I just can't imagine the amount of defeat that he felt in that moment.
• 29:56
  As he's sitting on the plane as a as a passenger.
• 30:02
  He's flying home on what should have been an incredible flight.
• 30:09
  What should have been a euphoric flight?
• 30:14
  Where he's praised and honored and given the the water can and salute.
• 30:22
  And as he's sitting in the back of that plane with his son, which is pretty cool, but he's sitting in the back of that plane.
• 30:29
  I can't help but to wonder what he was thinking about.
• 30:35
  All those years he had dedicated years and years and years to spirit airlines, and then literally in the blink of an eye, that company is gone forever.
• 30:48
  I don't think there's any coming back for Spirit Airlines.
• 30:51
  I think they're done.
• 30:55
  And for him to be stuck in that moment, caught in that moment, saying, I it wasn't supposed to end like this.
• 31:04
  All right, from the time pilots are little kids.
• 31:07
  I know I have I have a 10-year-old, soon to be 11-year-old, who just fantasizes about about flying.
• 31:15
  He dreams about flying.
• 31:19
  That's all he thinks about.
• 31:23
  And they think about, I mean, even at that age, they think about what it what's like to take their first flight, what it's like to take their last flight, and they dream about this day.
• 31:35
  And here he had this vision of what his final flight was going to look like.
• 31:41
  He's gonna fly in, they're gonna give the water cannon salute.
• 31:45
  It's gonna be this cool thing.
• 31:46
  There's gonna be a crowd on the ground waiting to to salute him and to applaud him, and his passengers are gonna do everything to support him and encourage him, and they're they're gonna lift him up and hoist him on his shoulder, on their shoulders, and you know, right?
• 32:01
  Like he probably had this really cool vision of what was going to happen in his mind.
• 32:09
  And he gets a message at 3 o'clock a.m.
• 32:15
  This would be the last flight for all spirit airline pilots.
• 32:22
  Can't imagine.
• 32:25
  I just simply cannot imagine.
• 32:30
  And then Southwest, they step up.
• 32:36
  They're like, not on our watch.
• 32:40
  We're not gonna watch this pilot slip away into the night.
• 32:46
  So they contact air traffic control, they contact the dispatchers at Southwest and they say, hey, what can we do for this pilot?
• 32:55
  We need to give him a proper retirement.
• 33:00
  And they had a crew waiting at the airport.
• 33:04
  Not only did he get the the water cannons to loot, but when he comes back, they they get off the airplane, and there's a crowd of people waiting, cheering him on.
• 33:17
  This is so incredible.
• 33:20
  And again, this is what I talk about all the time.
• 33:24
  This is what America is all about.
• 33:27
  We support each other, we love each other, we hold each other up, we encourage each other.
• 33:34
  And I I you're probably gonna get tired of me saying this, but don't fall for the narrative that we're all divided.
• 33:44
  There are people who want nothing more than for us to just fight with each other and be absolute, absolute miserable people.
• 33:54
  They would love for nothing more than for everybody to be divided.
• 34:01
  Because then they can be the heroes who come in and save the day.
• 34:05
  They can be the heroes who rescue the American people.
• 34:12
  I just did that show yesterday about uh Corey Brooks, Pastor Corey Brooks.
• 34:17
  He said this is this is the narrative that's winning in Chicago, that we're all helpless, that only the government can save us, only the government can figure this out for us.
• 34:32
  And it's just not true.
• 34:34
  It is absolutely 100% not true.
• 34:38
  And when people become dependent on the government and people get angry and they get angry with each other and they're out in the streets and they're rioting, like what in the world?
• 34:47
  Who can convince us to do that?
• 34:52
  And why?
• 34:55
  That's my thing.
• 34:56
  Why do you feel proud when you can get the American people to turn against each other?
• 35:00
  Other.
• 35:01
  Like, do you realize how messed up that is?
• 35:01
  Like, do you realize how messed up that is?
• 35:04
  Do you realize how sick that is?
• 35:04
  Do you realize how sick that is?
• 35:07
  But some of these politicians, they thrive on that.
• 35:07
  But some of these politicians, they thrive on that.
• 35:10
  They thrive on despair.
• 35:10
  They thrive on despair, pain, anger, get angry, Elizabeth Warren, get angry.
• 35:15
  Pain.
• 35:18
  Anger.
• 35:18
  Get angry.
• 35:20
  Elizabeth Warren.
• 35:21
  Get angry.
• 35:23
  Why?
• 35:23
  Why?
• 35:25
  Life's too short to live that way.
• 35:25
  Life's too short to live that way.
• 35:28
  Maybe that works for.
• 35:28
  Maybe that works for you.
• 35:32
  Pocahontas.
• 35:34
  You know, getting angry.
• 35:35
  Maybe maybe that's maybe that's your thing.
• 35:39
  Sure, not mine.
• 35:42
  That's I I don't want to live that way.
• 35:47
  That's I don't know of many people who want to live that way.
• 35:51
  It's a terrible way to live.
• 35:53
  Get angry.
• 35:54
  Get angry.
• 35:55
  Get in their faces.
• 35:58
  I mean, when we hear people saying that kind of stuff, it's uh it's just walk away.
• 36:03
  The best thing you can do is walk away.
• 36:06
  So anyway, I I'll talk more about this after the break.
• 36:10
  We are coming up on a break here in a minute, but uh man, it's just a heartwarming story, and it reminds us of that American we can do it ism.
• 36:22
  That the American people don't just roll over and and fizzle out, right?
• 36:32
  That's not the American way.
• 36:35
  We don't just fizzle out.
• 36:37
  The American people are full of pride, and the American people love to see other people succeed, and that's what makes this nation so great.
• 36:50
  We don't give up.
• 36:51
  We're resilient, and that, my friends, is fantastic news.
• 36:58
  Don't ever give up hope.
• 36:59
  Don't ever think that we're doomed.
• 37:02
  Don't ever think that America is a terrible place.
• 37:04
  It is not.
• 37:09
  And the amount of grace that they went out with.
• 37:12
  Although our shows do go to podcasts the next day after the broadcasts heard on talk radio.
• 37:17
  You can hear them on your favorite podcast app.
• 37:20
  Be sure to subscribe, rate the show, share it, and visit the store at America Outloud.news.
• 37:26
  Use the code out loud for 20% off and sit tight.
• 37:30
  We'll be right back.
• 37:31
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• 38:54
  Spirit Airlines came to an abrupt close.
• 38:58
  Just last weekend.
• 38:58
  It was three o'clock in the morning.
• 39:01
  And one of the captains, Captain John Jackson, he was a longtime Spirit Airlines captain.
• 39:10
  It was supposed to be his last flight.
• 39:19
  He had in his mind that on Saturday he would fly his last flight.
• 39:24
  He would get the water can and salute.
• 39:26
  People would cheer him, they would praise him.
• 39:30
  They would celebrate him.
• 39:32
  His passengers would celebrate him.
• 39:35
  And that flight never happened.
• 39:38
  Just one flight before that final flight.
• 39:43
  Spirit Airlines pulled the plug on the entire operation.
• 39:48
  They abruptly closed down.
• 39:57
  And to fly back as a regular passenger back to Baltimore.
• 40:03
  And Captain John Jackson, as I mentioned, was supposed to fly his final trip before retirement.
• 40:12
  But instead he found himself seated in the back of Southwest flight.
• 40:20
  Heading home with his son, Chris Jackson, a Southwest first officer.
• 40:28
  And uh here's what they said.
• 40:32
  This is what Southwest wrote on an Instagram post.
• 40:37
  Chris casually mentioned to the flight's pilots that this would have been his dad's retirement flight.
• 40:44
  They seized the opportunity to change the course of the day for Captain Jackson.
• 40:50
  Now, according to an article here, this is um Fox Business article.
• 40:58
  The crew saved the day.
• 41:00
  They sprang into action, they coordinated with dispatchers to arrange a surprise retirement tribute upon landing in Baltimore.
• 41:09
  When the aircraft touched down, airport fire crews greeted with a traditional water cannon salute.
• 41:17
  That's a symbol that honors uh it's an honor, typically reserved for milestone flights.
• 41:26
  Ground crews welcomed the veteran pilot at the gate with cheers and a celebratory bottle of champagne.
• 41:34
  A gate agent said over the intercom, ladies and gentlemen, Mr.
• 41:38
  John Jackson, as he walked off the plane, and he was greeted with applause from airport workers and travelers at the crowded gate.
• 41:50
  John Jackson said, very overwhelming.
• 41:53
  I can't thank you all enough.
• 41:56
  As he received a bottle of champagne.
• 42:00
  As Spirit goes down, this is kind of a sad day, and you guys made it incredible.
• 42:00
  As Spirit goes down, this is kind of a sad day, and you guys made it incredible.
• 42:06
  Thank you so much.
• 42:06
  Thank you so much.
• 42:09
  Uh kudos to them.
• 42:09
  Kudos to them.
• 42:12
  Kudos, kudos, kudos.
• 42:12
  Kudos, kudos, kudos.
• 42:15
  Southwest said that their gesture was meant to recognize Jackson's years of service after his original retirement plans were abruptly canceled.
• 42:15
  Southwest said that their gesture was meant to recognize Jackson's years of service after his original retirement plans were abruptly canceled.
• 42:26
  They said it was a powerful reminder of the aviation conversation.
• 42:26
  They said it was a powerful reminder of the aviation community's ability to show respect, compassion, and solidarity when it matters the most.
• 42:36
  That's what they said in a social media post, Southwest.
• 42:41
  So really, really, really cool stuff here.
• 42:45
  And it is.
• 43:29
  I have flown, I just thought about this.
• 43:31
  I have flown probably a million miles or more.
• 43:37
  And I don't know that I've ever flown Southwest.
• 43:41
  It's kind of interesting.
• 43:42
  And it's not because I don't like Southwest.
• 43:45
  That's just kind of never never worked out.
• 43:49
  Because of the airports I go to and maybe pricing and whatever.
• 43:52
  And I I have uh miles with another airline, so yeah, kind of interesting, but uh man, good on Southwest Airlines, good on them.
• 44:04
  They deserve all the applause here.
• 44:09
  For them to do that for a pilot to make his final flight on their plane as a passenger, to make that an honorary flight was really, really special.
• 44:21
  And this is what I mean.
• 44:22
  When I talk about the hidden lightness, I always say it doesn't take much light to expose darkness and to inspire other people.
• 44:32
  And this story, it it I hope and I pray that it inspires other people, that it inspires you to do something good, that it inspires you to honor somebody because I can think of a million different scenarios where people are in, maybe they're not pilots, but they're in some kind of a situation where maybe they're at retirement and they don't have they don't have a party planned for whatever reason their workers, their fellow workers, or their company didn't give them a party.
• 45:10
  Do you know you could step in and do that for them?
• 45:15
  Like it doesn't take much, you don't have to spend a whole bunch of money, you don't have to do months of planning.
• 45:22
  You could simply step in and plan a party for somebody and make their make their day.
• 45:35
  I've seen videos where a kid has a birthday party and nobody shows up.
• 45:43
  And it's heartbreaking.
• 45:45
  That's that's my my wife's biggest fear is that when my kids have friends over for birthday parties that nobody's gonna show up.
• 45:53
  That is like her recurring fear.
• 45:57
  Legitimately, she has a phobia that our kids' friends won't show up to their birthday parties.
• 46:08
  And uh she's like, she always says, what do we do if if nobody shows up?
• 46:14
  And like, I know what I would do, because I've seen people do this online, and I think it's fantastic.
• 46:20
  They'll put a message out on social media and just basically be like, hey, nobody showed up to my kid's birthday party.
• 46:27
  Um can people show up?
• 46:30
  Here's the address.
• 46:32
  Just show up.
• 46:34
  Whoever wants to, you're welcome, you you're welcome to come, you'll get free food, you'll get free desserts, you'll get free cake, you'll get all the benefits of a birthday party.
• 46:45
  Just come, please show up to my kid's birthday party, and people do it.
• 46:51
  And that's the thing.
• 46:52
  Like a lot of times we're so afraid to step out of our comfort zone because we're like, oh, well, that's weird, or that's not that's not traditional.
• 47:00
  That's that's not normal.
• 47:02
  Uh, people don't normally do this, people don't typically do it, and we come up with all these excuses, right?
• 47:09
  We come up with excuses and we end up not doing it, and I think it's to our detriment.
• 47:14
  If there's one thing that I've learned from doing this show, it's that people love to give.
• 47:19
  People love to give their time, people love to give their money.
• 47:24
  People love to support the underdogs.
• 47:29
  And people will show up if you simply ask them.
• 47:32
  A lot of times you don't even have to ask them.
• 47:35
  People just show up.
• 47:38
  But I would ask, I would ask.
• 47:40
  I would say, hey, can somebody please show up to my kids' party?
• 47:44
  This is an open invitation.
• 47:47
  And think about what a difference we could make in the world simply by showing up.
• 47:56
  By being there, being present.
• 47:59
  Oh, well, that would be weird.
• 48:00
  Going to a complete stranger's house.
• 48:02
  It's only weird if you make it weird.
• 48:06
  I I would absolutely love it.
• 48:08
  I would love to show up at somebody's house and make make some kids' day and make them feel like it's just the coolest party in the world.
• 48:20
  And who knows, maybe it would be.
• 48:34
  Any profession.
• 48:36
  Doesn't matter.
• 48:39
  Think what would happen if we did what Southwest did.
• 48:42
  Southwest Airlines, they showed up.
• 48:47
  They showed up.
• 48:49
  They were present.
• 48:52
  I think that's really special.
• 48:53
  I think it's really cool.
• 48:55
  And that's what makes us uniquely American.
• 48:59
  It's a people, people love to give.
• 49:00
  It's a people love to give.
• 49:02
  People love to celebrate other people.
• 49:02
  People love to celebrate other people.
• 49:06
  You know, sometimes it's hard to remember that because we hear this negativity so often in the news cycles.
• 49:06
  You know, sometimes it's hard to remember that because we hear this negativity so often in the news cycles.
• 49:13
  We hear it very often.
• 49:13
  We hear it very often.
• 49:17
  That America's so divided.
• 49:17
  That America's so divided.
• 49:21
  Americans are so depleted.
• 49:21
  Americans are so depleted.
• 49:25
  Americans are angry.
• 49:25
  Americans are angry.
• 49:28
  Americans are self.
• 49:28
  Americans are selfish.
• 49:31
  Right?
• 49:32
  It doesn't matter.
• 49:33
  And this is the thing.
• 49:34
  You know you're being manipulated when no matter where somebody is, there's always something wrong with them.
• 49:41
  If they're poor, it's oh, America's lazy.
• 49:45
  If they're rich, oh, America's greedy.
• 49:48
  It's like you literally can't win.
• 49:52
  If you if you're in between, you're middle class, you're you're partially selfish and partially uh lazy.
• 50:04
  Or you're just it's the narrative that you're just getting screwed over, that everybody's taking advantage of you, and you're a victim.
• 50:13
  So no matter what happens, you're always in the wrong.
• 50:18
  That's when you know you're being manipulated.
• 50:22
  See, what I like is when people celebrate Americans, and I would love it.
• 50:28
  I would love to see a politician come out and say, you know what, like I believe in the American people.
• 50:35
  I believe in her businesses.
• 50:37
  I I believe in the American people.
• 50:40
  I believe in poor people, I believe in rich people, and we're all on this earth together.
• 50:46
  That's one of the things that I loved about this uh this flight to the moon is that the astronauts get it.
• 50:54
  They really get it.
• 50:56
  And it was Victor Glover.
• 50:58
  He was like, you know, you realize looking back at Earth that we're all on this beautiful oasis in the middle of space, we're all on this disc, this beautiful oasis that God put there, we're all on it together.
• 51:17
  And he realized how both how insignificant and how significant we are.
• 51:26
  You realize that God blessed us with this beautiful oasis in the middle of nothingness.
• 51:35
  He put us here, and there is no white and black, and all these divisions that we put up, these superficial divisions.
• 51:43
  He's like, we we just are, and we're all together, and and when you realize that the world becomes a much more peaceful place, you know.
• 51:56
  We realize there's not a need for endless wars.
• 52:00
  We realize that our own American people are not the enemy.
• 52:07
  We're not each other's enemies.
• 52:11
  We're all here together on purpose.
• 52:15
  God put us here on purpose.
• 52:19
  We all have a role here on this planet earth.
• 52:24
  And I love that Southwest Airlines got that.
• 52:29
  They got the memo.
• 52:32
  Let's make John Jackson's retirement the most beautiful retirement that he's ever seen.
• 52:39
  And they pulled through for him.
• 52:41
  I can't tell you what an honor it is to cover even just to cover that story.
• 52:47
  When I saw that, I was like, man, I I gotta do a story on that.
• 52:52
  I think it's a huge story.
• 52:55
  Other people might not think it's that big of a deal, but I think it's huge.
• 52:58
  I think it's absolutely huge.
• 53:02
  That they went out of their way.
• 53:03
  They bent over backwards and didn't even hesitate.
• 53:07
  They didn't even hesitate to do it.
• 53:09
  They bent over backwards to make a pilot's day, to make it special, to give them the water cannons to loot, to honor him in one of the most profound ways, to give him a party, to give him a bottle of champagne.
• 53:23
  Like somebody thought through all of these details.
• 53:27
  And they did it in a matter of of probably minutes.
• 53:34
  I don't think this was a long flight to Baltimore, and they pulled through and they did it quickly, and it took teamwork.
• 53:41
  It took a whole team of people to pull this off and to make it happen.
• 53:47
  And that's what makes this nation so great.
• 53:51
  You literally see this replicated everywhere.
• 53:56
  So I don't buy, not for a second.
• 53:59
  I do not buy this narrative that America's evil, that it's a bad place, we're a godless nation.
• 54:06
  All this stuff that you hear from both the left and the right.
• 54:09
  It's it's just it's nonsense.
• 54:12
  America's a beautiful place.
• 54:16
  We are a land of freedom.
• 54:17
  Where else can you pull together something like this in a matter of minutes?
• 54:22
  What other country do you have the freedom to be able to do that?
• 54:28
  Where what other country do you have the amount of people to come together to pull something like this off?
• 54:33
  And they just they blink their eyes and just make it happen.
• 54:38
  Where else in the world?
• 54:39
  It's the age old question.
• 54:42
  It's like, oh, we're gonna leave America.
• 54:44
  Where are you gonna go?
• 54:47
  Go to Iran.
• 54:49
  It's you know, people, all these people identifying with Iran.
• 54:52
  We identify with Iran, talking about the regime.
• 54:55
  Then go there.
• 54:58
  If you identify with them, try it for for five minutes.
• 55:02
  See how long you survive.
• 55:05
  You know, you learn in the end that people are all talk, and they just like to grumble and they like to complain, they like to talk down about other people.
• 55:15
  But I will repeat this over and over.
• 55:18
  That's not the majority of people.
• 55:19
  That's only a handful of people who do that.
• 55:22
  The majority of people are good.
• 55:24
  The majority of people love to bless other people.
• 55:27
  The majority of people are hardworking Americans, hardworking citizens, and they want to see our neighbors do good.
• 55:37
  And that, my friends, is the hidden lightness.
• 55:41
  Good on Southwest Airlines, good on them.
• 55:45
  They did a great thing, they did a wonderful thing, a noble thing, an honorable thing.
• 55:51
  And I'll say uh to all the pilots at Spirit, all the all the workers at spirit.
• 56:01
  There are thousands of workers at Spirit.
• 56:01
  There are thousands of workers at spirit.
• 56:04
  We tip our hats to you.
• 56:04
  We tip our hats to you.
• 56:06
  Our prayers are with you.
• 56:06
  Our prayers are with you.
• 56:07
  Uh, we pray that uh that you guys are blessed and that you find other employment and that you find it quickly, and our prayers are with you.
• 56:07
  We pray that you guys are blessed and that you find other employment and that you find it quickly.
• 56:15
  And our prayers are with you.
• 56:19
  You can find more out about my show again.
• 56:21
  All the latest podcasts if you go to the menu navigation bar at AmericaOutloud.news under our shows or schedule.
• 56:21
  All the latest podcasts if you go to the menu navigation bar at America Outloud.news under our shows were scheduled.
• 56:26
  You'll be in the know.
• 56:26
  You'll be in the know.
• 56:26
  There is a hidden lightness that shines inside of all of us when there's so much.
• 56:27
  There is a hidden lightness that shines inside of all of us.
• 56:29
  When there's so much darkness that envelops the world, remember that it doesn't take much light to expose that darkness and to ultimately inspire other people.
• 56:37
  Join me in being a light.