Southwest Airlines Case Study in 2010
Instructor
Case:
Southwest Airlines in 2010
Dr. Deb Sircar
University of Greenwich
Business School
http://create.mcgraw-hill.com
Copyright 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.
This McGraw-Hill Create text may include materials submitted to
McGraw-Hill for publication by the instructor of this course.
The instructor is solely responsible for the editorial content of such materials. Instructors retain copyright of these additional materials.
ISBN-10: 1121643477
ISBN-13: 9781121643475
Contents
1. Southwest Airlines in 2010: Culture, Values, and Operating Practices 1
iii
Credits
1. Southwest Airlines in 2010: Culture, Values, and Operating Practices: Essentials of Strategic Management, Third
Edition 1
iv
Confirming Pages 1
Southwest Airlines in 2010: Culture, Values, and Operating Practices
Case
13
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES IN 2010: CULTURE,
VALUES, AND OPERATING PRACTICES
Arthur A. Thompson
John E. Gamble
The University of Alabama
University of South Alabama
In 2010, Southwest Airlines was the market share leader in domestic air travel in the
United States; it transported more passengers from U.S. airports to U.S. destinations than any other airline, and it offered more regularly scheduled domestic flights than any other airline. Southwest also had the enviable distinction of being the only major U.S. air carrier that was consistently profitable. The U.S. airline industry had lost money in 15 of the 30 years from 1980 through 2009, with combined annual losses exceeding combined annual profits by
$43.2 billion. Yet Southwest had reported a profit every year since 1973, chiefly
Case:
Southwest Airlines in 2010
Dr. Deb Sircar
University of Greenwich
Business School
http://create.mcgraw-hill.com
Copyright 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.
This McGraw-Hill Create text may include materials submitted to
McGraw-Hill for publication by the instructor of this course.
The instructor is solely responsible for the editorial content of such materials. Instructors retain copyright of these additional materials.
ISBN-10: 1121643477
ISBN-13: 9781121643475
Contents
1. Southwest Airlines in 2010: Culture, Values, and Operating Practices 1
iii
Credits
1. Southwest Airlines in 2010: Culture, Values, and Operating Practices: Essentials of Strategic Management, Third
Edition 1
iv
Confirming Pages 1
Southwest Airlines in 2010: Culture, Values, and Operating Practices
Case
13
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES IN 2010: CULTURE,
VALUES, AND OPERATING PRACTICES
Arthur A. Thompson
John E. Gamble
The University of Alabama
University of South Alabama
In 2010, Southwest Airlines was the market share leader in domestic air travel in the
United States; it transported more passengers from U.S. airports to U.S. destinations than any other airline, and it offered more regularly scheduled domestic flights than any other airline. Southwest also had the enviable distinction of being the only major U.S. air carrier that was consistently profitable. The U.S. airline industry had lost money in 15 of the 30 years from 1980 through 2009, with combined annual losses exceeding combined annual profits by
$43.2 billion. Yet Southwest had reported a profit every year since 1973, chiefly