Southwest Airlines Discrimination Case
Recently, a Southwest Airlines discrimination issue surfaced resulting from comments expressed by a Southwest pilot during a private conversation. The two minute conversation transpired on March 25, 2011 and was inadvertently broadcast over a Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control frequency in the Houston, Texas area during a flight from Austin, Texas to San Diego, California. According to the accusations, the comments were perceived as demeaning and derogatory with regard to the Southwest Airlines flight attendant employee group.
The intent of this paper is not to determine guilt or malice, but instead to present the facts presented from both sides of the argument. The legal
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The airline permitted the pilot to return to work after completing diversity training. The airline believes the incident was an isolated case and considered the conversation as ‘private'.
The Southwest Airlines flight Attendants Union have considered filing a federal workplace discrimination complaint with the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission based upon the statements made by the pilot. Despite and official apology offered by Southwest Airlines management, the union believes the airlines response and apology falls short of expectations. The union is “calling on Southwest Airlines to address this problem throughout our company, not as an isolated incident, but as a mandate that our workplace will be free from discrimination of all forms as a condition of continued employment” (Bingham). Despite the position of the union, Southwest Airlines management believes the diversity training and the public apology was an appropriate response to the incident.
Two possible actions must be considered to determine whether this incident involves any statutory activity. First, did the pilot violate any statutory laws by transmitting obscene, indecent, or profane language over ATC frequencies, and second, did the pilot provide a solid basis for a workplace discrimination complaint as expressed by the flight attendant union; both possibilities appear plausible based on the information
People – One of the many things good about Southwest Airlines is that the kinds of people who are heroes of the organization are people who care and go out of their way to help the customers. They’re the ones who are celebrated and held up as shining examples. Additionally, high levels of satisfaction among employees can be attributed to Southwest employee policy. Happy employees can provide high quality service and bring more customers back. To reinforce the culture of hard work, high-energy, fun, local autonomy, and creativity, the company provided continuous education program to employees. If you can help someone out or brighten someone’s day, be it a co-worker or a passenger, you’re doing your job well.
The target demographic for Southwest is very broad. The fact the airline has a brand that appeals to price-conscious travelers who do not mind the airline’s no-frills philosophy means it attracts lots of small business owners, young adults, middle-class families, and those who are traveling a short distance. Southwest operates a simplified airline to keep costs down. It only operates one type of aircraft, and its no-frills plan includes no assigned seats or class seating, no meals, and no onboard movies. The company has a strong emphasis on customer service and a differentiation strategy to keep customers happy and loyal. When hiring for customer service positions within the organization, Southwest focuses on attitudes rather than skills and encourages peer hiring. This strategy helps the company identify those who fit the organizational culture and who are most likely to further the company’s philosophy of
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.
The idea of blame, defined as, “A particular kind of response (e.g. emotion), to a person, at fault, for a wrongful action,” plays a significant role in the study of crime, with respect to degrees of “fault.” In most modern societies, “criminal culpability,” or degrees of wrongdoing, makes a difference between the kinds of punishment one receives for his action(s). To be culpable for a crime, there must be a guilty act (Actus Rea), and a guilty mind (Mens Rea). Degrees of culpability often depends on the kind of mental state, (Mens Rea), one brings to the act in which he engaged. How much one is blameworthy for wrongful conduct depends in part on the state of mind in relation to the wrongful conduct. One’s mental state while engaging in wrongful conduct, which in a legal sense is determined by legislators, is characterized by the following terms: purposely, knowingly, recklessly and negligence.
This led the NAACP to issue a national travel advisory black people warning them of the discriminating and disrespectful policies of the airline. According to NAACP, there has been a pattern of prejudice which has been going on for months. Now, they have finally taken action against it by issuing a warning before booking and boarding
Southwest Airlines is dedicated to incorporating all servant leadership principles throughout their organization. Accordingly, their mission statement is clear and concise it evidently exemplifies all principles and acknowledges a servant-led organization. Their mission statement embraces their commitment to serve the highest quality of customer service through a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit (Southwest, 2014). Therefore, through Southwest’s’ mission statement it makes it explicitly apparent that they seek to listen and commit to the growth of their people. Southwest empathizes with their employees because they are dedicated to providing
At Southwest Airlines, the company’s business strategy has a positive effect on the training they provide to their employees. Southwest Airlines is a Texas based airline that started up in 1971 (Corporate Fact Sheet). Over the years the airline has been recognized for its outstanding customer service and its low airfare fees. Due to their excellent customer service, the company has been ranked number one in customer satisfaction in 2013 by the U.S Department of Transportation. In. 2015, Southwest airlines was recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in the Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award. The reason that Southwest airlines is recognized for all these great things is because they obtain a good organizational control over the airline.
The article “Here’s what United will do differently after the infamous dragging incident”, written by Kristine Phillips and Avi Selk (2017), describes the aftermath of the incident where a United Airline passenger was forcibly removed from an airplane to open a seat for an off-duty crew member. This event was a disaster for United and fueled public anger toward United, even “international outrage” (Phillips & Selk, 2017). This issue has caused United Airlines to change their policies by requiring off-duty crew members to “check in at least an hour before the flight leaves” (Phillips and Selk, 2017) and once the airplane has been boarded, the passengers cannot be removed, unless it is for safety reasons.
Southwest Airlines' strong organizational culture is reflected in its mission statement "dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit" (Southwest, 2012). Southwest serves not only as a prime example of a company that excels in customer service and profitability, but as one that has utilized employee development as a means to meet these ends. Southwest makes a strong commitment to foster ongoing relationships with human resources. They demand that their employees are responsible members, however
At the onset of the airline industry in the United States, major network airlines were the sole providers of air travel. This multifaceted industry was a difficult industry to break into as a consequence of “sophisticated customer segmentation, hub-and spoke models and costly information systems for reservations, fare wars and intense competition” (Thompson 2008). Shrinkage in airline ticket prices augmented the demand for airline travel. Many markets were simply deserted or over-looked by major network airlines; this is a region a fresh “second tier of service providers” could enter into. This endeavor proved to provide a consumer savings of billions per year. Thus in June of 1971, after a tumultuous battle with other Texas-based
Engaging the target market: Southwest Airlines attracts both budget-conscious customers and those who are looking to have an interesting travel experience. Oftentimes, these two targets overlap as one market. The flight crews are supposed to display a “Warrior Spirit, a Servant’s Heart, and a Fun-LUVing attitude,” which is intended to engage the flight crew with the
Southwest Airlines is one of the most successful airlines in the United States. There has never been layoffs or strikes in the history of the company, although there were several times when layoffs could have been justified, including the months following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. However, Southwest's Mission statement says “Above all, Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer.” (Southwest, 1988). The Airline has always believed that their corporate culture is one of the keys to their success. The culture recognizes that employees have emotional intelligence and that their
Research topic: Southwest Airlines Company is looking to establish a global presence in either Vietnam or Spain. This research paper is to help analyze both countries and to determine which of the two countries Southwest Airlines Company should enter. The second purpose of this research paper is to determine how Southwest Airlines Company should enter the country. This paper proposes to answer four questions: Who is Southwest Airlines Company? What does Southwest Airlines Company do? Which country should Southwest Airlines Company enter; Vietnam, or Spain? How should Southwest enter that country; by investing in a facility, marketing products, or joint venture? The participants are students of Mount Washington College, Global Issues: Business, Government, & Society course BADM364, team B. Team B members are: Kyle Forbes, Adam Paquette, Nina Scarpino, Louie E. Watson, and Cheryl Kessler. Research methods applied include research and discussion to compare and analyze findings to determine which country makes the best fit for Southwest Airlines Co. global business strategy. The data analysis will compare each country’s history, economy, politics, government, culture, demographics, infrastructure, how business is done, and how Southwest has done business in
Southwest Airlines has developed the ability to attract top talent while retaining those already working within their company. This human resource function is one that companies are striving to continuously improve. In which many companies try to duplicate Southwest’s approach, but are not as successful as the customer service oriented airlines themselves. The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit. Fulfilling this mission statement begins within the recruiting and selection process. Finding the right people, with the right attitude, can be more challenging as one may think.
Southwest Airlines encourages respect, innovation, a caring attitude and strives to adhere to all labor and employment laws which includes respecting privacy and equal opportunity. With a strong concern for avoiding corruption and avoiding anti-competitive behavior, they work hard to maintain accountability of all business practices. An example of this is the promotion of competition to provide consumers low air fares and a variety of high quality air service offerings across the US. This shows their devotion to the community they serve and maintains the company culture.