Brian Little
‘Aiea
Summary
Operations leader with nearly two decades of experience in fast-paced, safety-critical environments. Known for building strong teams, driving cross-department collaboration and maintaining operational excellence under pressure. Brings hands-on leadership style with a strong focus on safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Overview
3
3
years of professional experience
Work History
Asst. Manager of Operations
Southwest Airlines
Honolulu
08.2022 - 09.2025
- Overall oversight of the daily operations.
- Direct leadership over HNL command center of 6 supervisors.
- Led daily flight activity for HNL station with 200+ employees.
- Coordinated daily operational plan for 45+ daily flights here in HNL; coordinated/supervised Southwest Hawai’i operations, with a total of 90+ daily flights at five separate stations.
- Previous airport was LAX I held the role of Command Center Manager, overseeing the operation of 115-130 daily flight operations.
- Assigned flight plotting for gates the night prior, and directly oversaw station response to any irregular operations (medical emergencies, mechanical issues, security issues, and gate congestion).
- I supported network protection by consistently communicating with stations upline and downline from LAX with pertinent information on situations.
- Led Southwest emergency response during the tsunami warning as result of the Kamchatka earthquake in July of 2025.
- Worked as a ramp agent for one year (2006-2007; LAX/BUR).
- Worked as a ramp supervisor in multiple airports (LAX, BOS, and PHX). I had direct control over 3-4 gates per shift, with 12-15 agents under my supervision.
- In LAX, each gate averaged 10-12 flights, so roughly 45 flights or so per shift.
- Directly assumed decision making control during accidents/incidents in my zone.
- Network with all departments and vendors working at the stations, as well as various groups within the airport community and state to ensure a safe and efficient operation.
- Coordinated and decision-maker for irregular operational plans between ramp, customer service, operations, and provisioning departments.
- Attended Network Operations Center daily briefings (3x daily) as representative of Hawaii operations, joined by all operational Southwest Departments (Dispatch, Inflight, Flight Ops etc.).
- I acted as POC for daily operations with vendors Signature fueling, AAC, and Ko’olau GSE services.
- Monthly and bi-monthly meetings with vendors to ensure not only safety, but efficiency as well.
- I attended monthly HDOT AOC meetings for airport community.
- I attended daily ATC morning briefings held by HCF; air carriers attended as well as each island ATC tower.
- I attended weekly PCM meetings as one representative for Southwest to discuss airport projects and closures.
- Facilitated the Southwest response to any impacts the closures or projects may have on Southwest (i.e. leased gate closure, jet bridge closure).
- Generate performance reports for Senior Leadership, evaluate team performance, and search for safe methods in to improve not only performance but a safety mindset for our team.
- Coordinated emergency response plans during the La Haina fire in 2023; facilitated additional charter flying, and logistics for impact to HNL with HNL Ramp Control/Code 22.
- Organized and communicated operational performance report for Southwest Senior Leadership 2x daily, for all five Hawai’i stations.
- Conducted monthly one-on-one meetings with 10 supervisors on my direct team.
- Presented evals 2x a year for all 10 supervisors on my team.
- Spent time supporting the community with Southwest’s Sunset on the Beach for Honolulu.
- I worked on documenting and notating damage reports for aircraft, ground support equipment, and facility damages.
- Partook in discipline hearings for employees, up to and including termination.
- Assisted in local law enforcement investigations for disruptive passengers, and/or security responses to disturbances onboard aircraft.
- Assisted with information gathering or securing resources on behalf of Southwest.
Education
Grade school through High School -
West Valley Christian Church School
Certificate of completion - AMP trade school
Westwood College
Skills
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Personnel Leadership
- Networking
- Coaching
- Development
Accomplishments
Achieved the #1 air carrier for OTP in the State of Hawaii for the years of 2023 and 2024.
Timeline
Asst. Manager of Operations
Southwest Airlines
08.2022 - 09.2025
Grade school through High School -
West Valley Christian Church School
Certificate of completion - AMP trade school
Westwood College