The People’s Airline: How Southwest turned love into a business model
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Southwest Airlines has become the largest domestic carrier in the US by prioritizing employee fun and treating customers like family. The airline's unique culture was shaped by its co-founders and has contributed to its success.
Southwest Airlines has operated for over five decades on the premise that an airline can be both profitable and pleasurable. The company's culture was shaped by its co-founders, including Herb Kelleher, who prioritized employee expression and fun. In 1967, Rollin King and Kelleher met at a San Antonio hotel bar, where King sketched a triangle on a cocktail napkin connecting Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio to illustrate his vision. At the time, air travel was expensive and formal, but Southwest innovated to make it more accessible. The airline's headquarters in Dallas features a museum-like archive room with historical artifacts, including Kelleher's blue suede shoes and original stewardess uniforms. Southwest's story is a quintessential American fable about a company that overcame challenges to become the largest domestic carrier in the US.
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