Business Analysis : Southwest Airlines Essay

Southwest Airlines Co., established in 1971 by Rollin King and Herb Kelleher, began its operations with only three Boeing 737 aircrafts. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas(Hawkins, Misra, & Tang, 2012). Southwest is well known as one of the largest low-cost carriers. With this strategy, the company has dramatically grown up and deeply rooted in the US airline industry. Now, Southwest Airlines Co. operates 633 aircrafts to 93 domestic cities and the highest number of passengers used Southwest Airlines to fly around U.S in Jan 2014 (Hawkins, Misra, & Tang, 2012). To accomplish more than 40th consecutive years of both profitability and competitiveness, Southwest Airlines Company is constantly trying to find the routes to differentiate itself from other domestic carriers (Hawkins, Misra, & Tang, 2012).

Southwest airlines, the largest low-cost carrier in the U.S with its headquarters located in the Dallas, Texas. The airline was started in 1967 and it adopted its current name sometime in 1971.The mission of the company is the dedication to the very highest quality of customer care with a delivery covered with a sense of warmth, individual pride, friendliness as well as company spirit. This mission is dedicated to the giving of ordinary people a chance to fly. The company's mission towards its employees is to provide them with a stable work environment and an equal level of opportunity to spark learning as well as personal growth. The company also encourages innovation and creativity for improving the level of effectiveness of its operations. It does this by providing the employees with equal levels of concern, caring attitude as well as respect. The company's vision is to have a conservative increase in the level of

Southwest Airlines Co. is an airline company that offers air transportation services within the United States and in international markets. The company operates within the airline industry that is highly regulated, technology intensive, labor intensive, and highly competitive (Southwest Airlines, 2017). Southwest Airlines operates a service business whereby the company offers a point to point air transport service to its passengers. Other than passenger transport, the company offers transportation services for pets and unaccompanied minors. The flights offered include short haul and long haul between various destinations within the United States and internationally. In 2016, the company’s operating revenues from international operations amounted to $383 million. A unique feature of the Southwest Airlines is its cost structure whereby the company focuses on cost discipline and uses one aircraft type to minimize costs.

Southwest Airlines is a major US airline established in 1967 that services a multitude of cities in all 50 states and beyond. The company is known for its outstanding quality in providing services and it 's cost effective ticket prices to its many passengers throughout the nation. This airline is based in the southwestern United States, in the city of Dallas Texas, and due to the tremendous number of airplanes that it has and the timely service that it provides to its passengers, this airline services more US passengers than any other airline. This airline also has the largest fleet of planes of any economical or low-cost airline service in the world and employees more than 45,000.

Southwest Airlines also has flexible policies to ensure customers have a great experience. An example of their flexible policies is you can cancel a reservation up to 30 minutes prior to the flights take off. Southwest also have rewards programs that consist of earning points, points for purchasing flights that customers can use to purchase booked flights. It also has a partnership with Chase Bank and offers customers a Southwest credit card that allows them to accumulate points that they can redeem for future flights (Investopedia, 2015). Southwest also price matches on airline tickets. The competitive tactics that this airline is using are very effective price matching on the airline

If Southwest decided that they needed to increase their revenue they would have to start by raising the prices of their tickets. The need for increased revenue would need to be passed on to the consumers’. When a ticket price is higher with one airline than the other, the customer

Air travel has its ups and down, as does basically any type of travel. However, Southwest Airlines has always been my favorite airline to fly. As a young single who loved traveling, I found their fares and schedules to be the most convenient for my taste. I always appreciated the staff’s sense of humor, and it really never bothered me where I sat, so I didn’t mind the “A, B, C” boarding groups as opposed to assigned seats: I actually appreciated the freedom of choice. It wasn’t until after a couple of marketing classes that I realized the things I preferred about Southwest were intentional marketing strategies that the company used to differentiate

According to Greyhound, it takes a total of sixty-five hours to drive from New York to Los Angeles by bus with no transfer (“Choose your outgoing trip,” 2016). The same trip with Southwest Airlines takes approximately eight hours (“Select Departing Fight,” 2016). In 1971 Southwest Airlines became an official airline company when they won a U.S Supreme Court ruling and purchased three Boeing 737 (Thomas, Peteraf, Gamble &Strickland, 2016, p. c-341). As of 2014 Southwest’s fleet has grown to an astonishing 665 aircraft that recorded 902 thousand flights in 2013 (Thomas, et al., 2016, p. c-341). By evaluating Southwest’s industry maturation, strategies, their success in the sector it will be possible to make recommendations for Southwest 's future growth.

Southwest airlines began in 1971 using a strategy unlike any other airline at the time. Starting out in Texas, with only three planes, they flew between the Texas cities of Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio (Coulter, pg 250). Their primary goal was to get their passengers to their destinations, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and to provide a fun atmosphere for their customers. They focused on providing short-haul routes with fares that were competitive with driving. Today, Southwest serves 101 destinations across the United States, as well as eight additional countries, and operates more than 3,900 flights a day. (Southwest , 2017) They have achieved a record 44 consecutive years of annual profitability, while staying true to their goal of providing the highest level of customer service at the lowest fare. In 2016 they ranked number 1 in customer satisfaction according to statistics listed by the Department of Transportation, with and average passenger airfare of $149.09 one way trip. (Southwest , 2017)

Southwest Airlines differentiates itself from its competitors by its marketing communications as the only low-fare, short haul, high frequency, point to point carrier in America that is "fun" to fly (YouSigma, 2008). Southwest 's promotion starts with understanding what the customer wants and then translating it into meaningful services and products. Because Southwest is intuitive to its customers needs, it helps instill the brand and the commitment. Southwest airlines employs the most basic form of price competition by running ads that encourage potential customers to visit their website for the best online deals (YouSigma, 2008).

Southwest Airlines is excellent in planning out their long-term goals. The above SWOT analysis proved that the company is successfully carrying out the cost leadership strategy to manipulate their competitors and boost up their company. Their mission in providing Low Fare cost is one of the best strategy that they can have to increase their market share, but not just that it also put a significant increase in the demand of air travel. Southwest Airline rapid rewards program is brilliant, so they should continue and expand it even more.

Southwest Airlines was incorporated in 1967 and founded by Rollin King and Herb Kelleher. However, due to lawsuits, Southwest was unable to fly their first commercial flight until 1971. Southwest founded their business on the quote: "If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly yourairline5." Southwest focused on a point-to- point operational system and a low cost pricing strategy that is currently used today. The organization is very centralized due to its point to point emphasis. The centralization of the company requires very strategic route utilization. The company for instance, selects routes to airports with low competition and overall traffic. This allows the company to be more price competitive as competitors are reluctant to venture into less travelled routes. In order to make decisions regarding these routes a centralized organizational structure is warranted. In addition to the centralized organizational structure of Southwest, many committees, teams, and task forces are designed with the sole purpose of reducing waste and cost control. The airline industry is predicated on cost containment, particular those related to fuel and other commodity prices. Task forces are designed with the purpose of providing a sustainable means of reducing costs without a corresponding decline in customer experience. The centralized

This week’s case study is regarding the success of Southwest Airline Company. It was interesting to read and see the success of Southwest uncovered. Reading these case studies it brings a different approach to management. With this case, it shows how we have to be brave enough to step out of the normal and go with our passion and calling in life. Herbert Kelleher was not your typical CEO. It was fun, outgoing, witty and goofy.

Southwest Airlines provides short haul, high frequency, point-to-point, low-fare services to and from 58 cities across the United States. The company is known for its low-cost fares and superior customer service in the airline industry. The company was started in 1971 with a motto still lived by today, "If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline." This motto has been effective for the company because they recently reported their 58th straight quarterly profit.

Southwest Airlines faced many barriers to entry from the fierce competition of other airlines in the industry. Though competition was fierce, Southwest Airlines managed to succeed by doing things differently. Their mission was to provide affordable air travel to those who would not normally fly. Contradictory to the rest of the airline industry, Southwest maintained a profit while keeping its fares low. Southwest was unique to the industry in two ways. They focused on the short haul traveler and used a point-to-point method of flight connections.