November 20, 2011 - Southwest Airlines announce production will begin this week on a new series giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at modern air travel, sharing the large-scale operations and personal Customer and Employee stories at Southwest Airlines.

The series will air on TLC, and the network has ordered 13 half-hour episodes, which are being produced by ITV Studios America. A title and premiere date have not yet been set. 

"We are excited to open our doors to TLC viewers because our Employees will be wonderful ambassadors to reveal the behind-the-scenes happenings of working for an airline," said Linda Rutherford, Southwest Airlines Vice President of Communication and Strategic Outreach.  

"Southwest Airlines will be in viewers' homes, featuring our operations, Culture, and Spirit." From Ramp Agents and Customer Service Agents to Flight Attendants and Pilots, to Provisioning Agents and Mechanics, viewers will see aspects of Southwest that have never been profiled in the past.  

Production begins this weekend at Baltimore Washington International Airport and Denver International Airport. Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the world's leading entertainment and sports agency, brokered the deal on behalf of Southwest Airlines.  Southwest Airlines is based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States based upon domestic passengers carried. Southwest operates more than 3,400 flights a day, as of March 2011, utilizing a fleet of 552 aircraft.

Southwest Airlines founder Herb Kelleher studied California-based Pacific Southwest Airlines extensively. and used many of the airline?s ideas to form the corporate culture at Southwest. Early flights used the same "Long Legs And Short Nights" theme for stewardesses on board typical Southwest Airlines flights.  

A committee of individuals, including the same person who had selected hostesses for Hugh Hefner's Playboy jet, selected the original flight attendants for Southwest Airlines. The selection resulted in a group of female flight attendants who were described as long-legged dancers, majorettes, and cheerleaders with "unique personalities". Southwest Airlines and Herb Kelleher proceeded to dress these individuals in hot pants and go-go boots.  

ITV Studios America, the US based production entity of ITV Studios in the UK, is one of the largest international producers for the US market and a major force in acquiring, developing and producing reality and scripted programming for US networks. ITV Studios America has a slate of formats in production with major networks and syndicators, including Prime Suspect, Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, First 48, After the First 48, Steven Seagal -Lawman, Four Weddings, America Now and The Jeremy Kyle Show. In addition, ITV Studios America's psychological documentary special I Love You To Death airs December 1 on A&E.