A ffectionately known as Capt Denny on both Milepoint and FlyerTalk, Denny Flanagan — a veteran pilot and captain at United Airlines whom I have met several times and is well known amongst frequent fliers regardless of airline affiliation — will be the pilot of a Boeing 757-200 aircraft operating as United Airlines flight 441 from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to Los Angeles International Airport, which is scheduled to depart at 6:00 in the morning on Saturday, January 17, 2015.
You and several other FlyerTalk members who are scheduled to be on that flight can listen to him on Channel 9 via the in-flight entertainment system aboard that aircraft. He has been known to customize his messages to air traffic controllers for FlyerTalk members — including referring to the flight as FlyerTalk One back on February 28, 2009. FlyerTalk Two occurred on March 26, 2011; and this flight will be known as FlyerTalk Three.
Denny Flanagan needs no introduction to many frequent fliers; but if you do not know who he is, you can read about him in this article written by Dinah Eng of Fortune magazine dated December 24, 2014 — a Christmas Eve article to which he is referred as a helper of Santa Claus. You can also read about him in this article which I posted on August 29, 2014 where we can learn how to be more like him pertaining to working from the heart; offering a superior and memorable customer service experience; and treating people with value, dignity and respect as few others know how to do these days…
…but do not take my word for it. Find out for yourself just how extraordinary Denny Flanagan is by booking yourself on that flight this coming Saturday. There are 21 seats which are still available as of the time this article was posted; but they are all located in the Economy Plus section of the aircraft. Seats in the premium class cabin have already been sold out. Opportunities to fly as a passenger on an aircraft he is piloting are becoming more limited, as he had already announced that he plans to retire within the next couple of years.
If flying as a passenger on an airplane that day cannot fit into your schedule and you happen to be in the Los Angeles area, consider having lunch with him and several other FlyerTalk members at noon.
You can be assured of one thing: meeting Denny Flanagan will be a memorable experience for you. It was for me…
Photograph courtesy of Denny Flanagan.
