implications of Southwest Airlines with respect to its impact on the airline industry. It will offer meaningful recommendations and plans for implementation. This will be done by looking at Southwest’s pricing strategies‚ costs‚ and competition and putting it in context with the industry as a whole. History‚ Development‚ and Growth Southwest‚ founded by Rollin King and Herb Kelleher‚ began as a small Texan airline almost 35 years ago and has grown to become one of the largest airlines in America.
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Corporate Strategy 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
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Southwest Airlines Executive Summary “The U.S. airline industry had lost money in 14 of the 28 years from 1980 through 2007‚ with combined annual losses exceeding combined annual profits by $15 billion. Yet in July 2008‚ Southwest reported record quarterly revenues‚ its 69th consecutive quarter of profitability‚ rising passenger traffic on its flights‚ and a record load factor.”5 With a brilliant strategy of ‘low cost/low fare/no frills’ Rollin King‚ along with Herb Kelleher‚ launched the
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Southwest Airlines: A Corporate Cultural Assessment University of X September 17‚ 2005 Southwest Airlines: A Corporate Cultural Assessment Southwest Airlines (Southwest) is a domestic US airline that provides short haul‚ high frequency‚ point-to-point‚ and low-fare service to and from 60 airports in 59 cities across 31 US states. From humble beginnings in 1971‚ this airline with only four passengers per flight‚ and airhostesses wearing hot pants and white go-go boots‚ has evolved into a leader
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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
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Illustrate the meaning of “Sustainable Competitive Advantage”. What was the main strategy adopted by Southwest Airlines that made it successful in the airline industry? Competitive advantage is a position of a company in a competitive landscape that allows the company earning return on investments higher than the cost of investments. Competitive advantage should be relevant‚ unique and sustainable. Therefore sustainable competitive advantage‚ it’s a long-term competitive advantage that a company
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Southwest Airline Case ¨C Executive Summary Introduction in 1971‚ Herbert D. Kelleher with other few business partners started an Airline services. Up till 1991‚ Southwest served low-fair air transportation among 32 cities in 14 states with over 20 million customers annually in the United States. Although the industry suffered a major blow from the unfavorable economic conditions‚ the company was still holding strong; while other airline companies were in debt. The major success to their continued
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Summary: Southwest Airlines has been making changes over the past few years that helped them become the largest low-cost carrier in the United States. Most other airlines have been struggling to make it through this economy‚ but Southwest has found a way to thrive. The airline has dropped their prices and eliminated fees for extras that have allowed them to fill up most flights. One cost they continue to struggle with is offsetting the increasing fuel prices. This has caused some airlines to merge
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Summary of Southwest Airlines: Does “LUV” Last?* First time in history‚ Southwest Airlines had its “LUV” for customers questioned. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) levied a record $10.2 million fine on Southwest Airlines. They accuse them after missing mandatory safety checks of flying 117 planes on nearly 60‚000 flights between June 18‚ 2006‚ and March 14‚ 2007. Both the FAA and Southwest testified. FAA officials were blamed for being “too close” to the airline and being
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SWOT Analysis: Southwest Airlines SWOT Analysis: Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines made its first voyage back in 1971 with service based in the cities of Dallas‚ Houston and San Antonio (Brief History‚ 2009). 38 years later‚ Southwest Airlines has more than 3300 flights a day and serves 66 cities in 33 states (Factsheet‚ 2009). Southwest Airlines has demonstrated a variety of strengths in its 38 year presence. Recent economic events have also caused a renewed focus on the company’s weaknesses
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