Southwest Case Analysis

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Executive Summary From the humble beginnings as a quirky but scrappy underdog that flew mainly to secondary airports, Southwest has climbed up through the industry ranks to become the major competitive force in the domestic segment of the US airline industry, the only major US air carrier that was consistently profitable since 1973. Since 2000, the number of passengers flying Southwest had increased by more than 28 million annually, whereas passenger traffic on domestic routes had declined at such carriers as American Airline, Delta, Continental, United and US Airway. These amazing and considerable successes have been achieved thanks to the wholehearted and exceptionally effective efforts of Southwest management in crafting as well as implementing and executing the company’s strategy: the low-cost/no-frills operating strategy and the company’s friendly, fun-loving spirit conveyed to customers. Thus, our condensed analysis highly recommended that Southwest management (1) keep going and developing their successful low-cost operating strategy and the fun-loving spirit, (2) reinforce the safety of flights (as well as the planes), (3) continue training Southwest’s employees going along with start training programs for AirTran’s managers and employees (after the acquisition) (4) purchase some new plane models (besides Boeing 737) or upgrade the flying systems for the company’s old planes and (5) consider investing in higher-income customers. Those steps are truly deserved to be taken a shot with an aim of improving and maintaining Southwest’s unique core values and customer-attracted image. Question 1: Is there anything that you find particularly impressive about Southwest Airlines? Southwest is a lousy airline in domestic air travel in the United States, displaying the low fare for the vast majority of travelers. So as to retain the

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