Southwest Airlines
Value chain and resource-based view of the firm
Southwest Airlines has a famously unique business model for an airline, one which has enabled it to sustain a profit even during times when the rest of the airline industry's fortunes were flagging. Southwest is a budget airline that offers relatively limited flights to a fixed number of destinations, in comparison to its competitors. However, it strives to offer superior service, thanks to its enthusiastic and well-trained staff. It offers value to customers based upon price as well as programs such as its Rapid Rewards loyalty program (Thompson & Gamble 2008: C-287). "Southwest was a shrewd practitioner of the concept of price elasticity, proving in one market after another that the revenue gains from increased ticket sales and the volume of passenger traffic would more than compensate for the revenue erosion associated with low fares" (C-287).
Southwest was also one of the first airlines to eschew the 'hub and spoke' system of flights. Instead of offering many connecting flights to prominent large airports, Southwest focused on offering shorter, direct and frequent flights. This reduced delays based upon connections. It also increased customer satisfaction by streamlining and improving customer service. Early on, Southwest focused on doing what it did very well, rather than trying to be all things to all people. It marketed itself as a low-fare, on-time airline (C-289).
SWOT
Strengths
In an era where service quality on flights is plummeting, Southwest still has a strong reputation for the enthusiasm of its considerate staff. It also exhibits a sense of humor as an airline, most notably in its artful 'love' campaign, a verbal play on words, regarding the location of the airline near Love Field. Southwest staff members...
Southwest Airlines: The corporate culture of the LUV airline Southwest Airlines is known for a unique corporate culture that is particularly distinctive, in contrast to its competitors. Southwest Airlines has "a raucous corporate culture that is the exception in the grim airline industry" (Bailey 2008). From the Airline's inception, its founder and chairman, Herbert D. Kelleher ensured that there was "a startling amount of office hugging and kissing in lieu of
Southwest Airlines Effectiveness of Southwest Leadership Southwest management has defined a clear and simple business purpose. The management has also chosen the right business model that supports the business purpose. The management consistently demonstrates the core values and behaviors derived from the key business purpose (Emerald, 2005). The quality of the airline customer service is synonymous with warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit. This has kept the staff morale high. The
Southwest Airlines originally began operation in 1967, but as Air Southwest Co. In 1971 its name was changed to Southwest Air Co. The purpose behind its foundation was to provide passengers with a cheap means of air travel within Texas. Today they have a fleet of 550 Boeing 737s and 37000 employees. Although it's a relatively small, domestic airline, taking passengers to 73 American cities, but it provides remarkable customer
Southwest Airlines The deregulation of the United States domestic civil aviation industry in 1978 saw airlines begin to compete freely. However, the capital-intensive nature of the business, along with undifferentiated products and services, has led to 120 airline bankruptcies since then. In the light of this context, Southwest's ability to compete is particularly interesting as it has not only continued to expand, but has been the only one to earn a
Southwest Airlines Case Analysis Southwest Airlines is a company that has grown from a small regional carrier in Texas and surrounding states to the largest U.S.-based airline. The primary strategy of the company is to be the low-cost, no frills option for people wanting to travel within the United States. Recently, Southwest acquired another carrier so they will soon begin international flights to the Caribbean and Mexico. This paper discusses the
Southwest Airlines Before 1978, the federal government regulated the U.S. airline industry. Airlines were given profitable routes but were also obligated to serve unprofitable routes in the public's interest. Increases in airline costs were routinely passed along to customers due to the lack of price competition. In 1978, the airline deregulation act enabled airlines to set their own fares and enter or exit routes without government approval (Lam, 2003). The major airlines
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