My name is Bryce and I’m an aviation enthusiast who runs Skylite Productions. Skylite Productions is a commercial aviation based YouTube channel and Instagram account that I started 7 years ago. On the channel, I feature my travels from all over the world, as I seek out and take the most unique and interesting flights I can find.
In the pasty year, I have featured two of the world’s most historic and famous “through flights” on my social media accounts. Those being United Airlines’ Pacific Island Hopper and Alaska Airlines’ Milk Run. Both flights have been in operation for decades and have huge historic significance, and even today in 2022, play a vital role in ensuring the communities they serve have links to the rest of the world.
After taking those flights, my mind started turning. Are there any other unique and interesting through flights out there? Like any dedicated #avgeek, I had to find an answer!
Southwest Loves Point To Point Service
Now, I fly a lot…. In 2022, I’ve flown on 146 flights, over 128,000 miles, on 25 different airlines. But it never fails, in all the flying I do, I fly Southwest Airlines more than anyone else. 41 of my 146 flights this year have been on Southwest. So, when I was thinking about unique through flights, I instantly thought of Southwest.
No one uses the idea of through flights on a larger scale than Southwest. In fact, with the exception of the historic flights listed above, none of the other major US airlines really use the practice at all, except in very unique situations. So, I started researching! Initially I found an article on Southwest’s website from 2015, explaining that Southwest through flights can have up to 8 segments. And from that moment, I knew it was possible to find Southwest flights that rivaled the Island Hopper or Milk Run. The search was on! Initially, it proved quite difficult to locate these “octoflights.” You know, something about normal people not waiting to take a flight from point A to H with 7 stops. However, that was exactly what I wanted to do.
So, after scouring flight schedules on my own and not turning up anything over 4 stops, I reached out to an old Southwest contact for help. I know had multiple sets of eyes trying to locate the longest through flights that were currently offered. Unfortunately, despite several sets of eyes now searching, the longest flights we were able to find currently, were 6 segments long. So, “hexaflights.”
I Found The Ultimate 6-stop Route: Coast To Coast
We found several flights, but ultimately selected Southwest flight 247 as being the most unique. Flight 247, originating on the East Coast in Providence, Rhode Island, ended 4,361 miles later, on the West Coast in Seattle, Washington. During its marathon, 16-hour journey, it would stop 6 times, visiting 6 states, and 7 Southwest cities. It would accomplish this all while keeping the same flight number and aircraft.
A true transcontinental through flight, which never backtracked on itself. The total routing for the journey was Providence, Chicago, New Orleans, Austin, San Diego, Sacramento, and Seattle. So, with the flight selected and my ticket booked, the date was set. On August 31, 2022, I would attempt to take the entire journey in one swoop. As the date approached, and thanks to my contacts at Southwest, many Southwest employees had heard about my plan. As a result, there was a buzz and excitement surrounding the approaching flight.
Southwest Heard About My Trip and Let Me Select The Plane!
I was then offered the incredible opportunity to hand select the aircraft I wanted to operate the flight. Since the flight was operated by a 737-700, I selected Triple Crown One. Triple Crown One is the aircraft painted in a special livery, dedicated to the employees of Southwest Airlines. From 1992 through 1996, Southwest achieved the unthinkable, and received top marks from consumers in on-time performance, customer satisfaction, and baggage handling. Giving Southwest the “Triple Crown,” 5 years in a row.
Thanks to good weather and Southwest’s awesome aircraft scheduling, Triple Crown One did indeed show up to operate the flight which made this flight even more special! With the flight visiting 7 Southwest cities, and hundreds of Southwest employees having a part in helping the flight along its journey, it only seemed fitting to have those amazing employees be represented on this epic journey.
Big Day Arrives: Southwest Flight 247
August 31st arrived, Triple Crown One was sitting at the gate, and although I was half asleep thanks to the 4:00am alarm I’d set, I was now ready to attempt the transcontinental through flight! At 5:30am, after a small ceremony at the gate thanks to the awesome Providence ground crew, flight 247 departed on-time and began the first of 6 segments.
Characteristic Southwest Hospitality
Throughout the day, at every stop, I was wished on my way by Southwest employees. All of whom were following along as the day progressed. The support I received from all types of Southwest employees throughout the day, both in person, and via YouTube and Instagram was incredible. It truly showcased the amazing atmosphere Southwest has created throughout their employee group.
Throughout the journey, I was given all kinds of well wishes and Southwest swag, ranging from nice notes, Instagram messages, cards thanking me for my business, more cans of water than I could carry, as many snack bags as I wanted, and I was even offered Starbucks coffee and food by one of the first officers during one of the stops.
The amount of kindness and dedication I saw from the employees of Southwest on this trip, has never been duplicated anywhere else, in all my travels. The day progressed smoothly and at 6:05pm, 15 hours and 35 minutes later, flight 247 arrived in Seattle 10 minutes ahead of schedule. Another testament to the awesome employees of Southwest Airlines. Throughout the day, countless numbers of Southwest employees from gate agents, ground handlers, pilots, flight attendants, dispatchers, crew schedulers, aircraft schedulers, maintenance technicians, and so many others played roles in making sure flight 247 operated safely and on-time.
Although flight 247 was a special flight for me on that day, the flight operated its transcontinental journey every day during that schedule iteration, overwhelmingly operating the entire journey on-time.
Flight 247 Was Repurposed–It’s Now the Shortest Flight On The Schedule
Since September 6th, as flight numbers have been shuffled with the new schedule, fight 247 is now an inter-island flight in Hawaii between Honolulu and Lihue. Kind of fitting that it would go from a 4,300-mile marathon to one of Southwest’s shortest flights.
Check Out My Video Vlogging This Special Day
Flight 247 no longer exists in the form presented here in this article, but since I filmed it in its entirety, it will forever live on in 4K, as one of the most unique through flights to ever exist. If you so choose, you can watch the entire journey from start to finish in the video accompanying this article. Although, I completely understand if you skip around the video considering its 11-hour length. Also, you can be sure, that I’ll be on the lookout for even longer Southwest through flights in the future!
