We like to think that our name, Southwest Airlines, is synonymous with removing barriers. When we began flying 32 years ago, our goal was to make affordable travel available to every American barred from exercising their Freedom to Fly by other airlines’ high fares. Over the years, we grew and spread our wings beyond our birthplace in the great Southwest to become the preeminent low-fare airline for the entire nation. Unfortunately, in some folks’ minds, there still exists another barrier because they think Southwest is just for travel within the Southwest, or perhaps, just for short flights.
Nothing could be further from the truth. We serve 58 cities from coast to coast and border to border. (You may find our destinations on the map in the back of this magazine; at our website, southwest. com; or by calling Southwest Reservations at 1 800 I FLY SWA. ) In a way, I guess we are victims of our own success because, within our “home turf” of Texas and also in California and Florida, we provide mass transportation with frequent intrastate flights. Southwest is the first airline that comes to mind when Customers need to travel between these points.
Don’t get me wrong, we dearly LUV our short haul Customers, but the breadth of our service extends much further than that. In fact, we offer our Customers a true nationwide, low-fare network comprising a mixture of short-haul, long-haul, and transcontinental nonstop service. Some of our largest operations are in Baltimore/Washington, Chicago Midway, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Oakland. Southwest can take you from one corner of this great country to the other – from Seattle/Tacoma to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood and from Boston (served through either Manchester or Providence) to San Diego – and to points in between.
The Business plan on Southwest Airlines Financial Analysis
The strategy of Southwest Airlines (SWA) has remained the same, which is to give customers low-cost, point-to-point airfare, with excellent customer service. This simple strategy has resulted in SWA posting profits for 30 consecutive years. While other airlines are downsizing, SWA is showing slow steady growth. This performance is evident throughout their SEC Filings. First we will look at ...
And, don’t forget, the highest one-way fare you will ever pay on Southwest is $299 (plus taxes).
Most of our fares are much lower than that! We are very proud of our origins, and while our name proudly reflects our roots, the branches have grown tall and wide. The right direction for going east, west, north, or south is Southwest. The next time you need fun, dependable, and affordable air travel for a trip across your state, your region, or this country, we hope you will think Southwest Airlines. Colleen Barrett President and Chief Operating Officer.
