...MBA 610 Case Study: Southwest Airlines Corporation 1. Southwest Airlines Corporation is an extremely popular and profitable company due to their strategy of being the nations’ low-fare, high customer satisfaction airline. Southwest is able to offer the nation’s lowest fares due in part to their low operating-cost structure, the lowest in the domestic airline industry. This low operating-cost structure (refer to Exhibit 1 for 5 year financial highlights and 2004 data) is the basis on which Southwest builds its competitive advantage, as it allows Southwest to sell low fare tickets while still enjoying a gross margin percentage of sales (29.2% of sales in 2004) much higher than United Airlines (22.7% of sales), American Airlines (1.9% of sales), and Delta Airlines (18.9% of sales). Southwest achieved this low cost operating structure through eschewing the traditional “hub-and-spoke” approach used by their competitors, and instead flying short haul, medium haul, and point-to-point flights, allowing for more frequent flights. As a result, about 80% of Southwest’s passengers fly non-stop and the overall passenger length is approximately 758 miles. Additionally, Southwest consistently seeks out ways to improve its efficiencies and low cost structure. For an example, at Southwest, turnaround time (from the time a plane lands until it is ready for takeoff) takes approximately 20-25 minutes and requires a ground crew of four plus two people at the gate. By comparison, turnaround times...
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...Southwest Airlines Calsouthern University Introduction “There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else (Sam Walton, 2015).” Millions of people fly everyday. Southwest airlines provide low-fare travel among 58 cities in the United States. Although the airline industry suffered greatly in the aftermath of September 11, Southwest was able to continue to hold strong. Southwest airline continues to maintain steady sales as much of the industry was affected by changes in laws/regulations and competition entering the market. In the following report there is a brief introduction to Southwest Airlines and their strategy and then what, if anything, they need to do or not do to remain at the top and competitive in the airline industry. The Problem The major problem of the company is whether they can continue growing and at the same time keep offering the same services to their clients. To continue growing, Southwest Airlines needs to analyze the external environment in order to ensure their success. The solutions that will be presented for Southwest airlines have to attack two main issues: 1. How will they be able to keep their “Southwest airlines LUV” 2. How to keep their expansion and not affect the image of the airline. Southwest Airlines has a list of infinite options, many will hinder their image from the inside out (employees to costumers) while providing a set of services...
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...Southwest Airlines Case Study After the acquisition of AirTran, Southwest Airlines (SWA), a company with years of profitability in airline industry is now facing challenges in both external and internal environment. The strength of success in marketing strategy and organizational management and the threats from uncertainty environment exist at the same time. This paper is a brief analysis of the company’s strategy and estimated future performance. External Environment Airlines in United States present a wide variety of services based on their strategies to satisfy different needs of the leisure travelers group and business travelers group. There are three main groups of airlines, which are national airlines, regional airlines and commuter or feeder carriers. Based on the territories they serve, airlines differ in routes. The two major types are point-to-point and hub-and-spoke. Both strategies have their own inherent costs and organizational implications. An airline can provide plenty of services: while most airlines have two classes of service, there are also airlines providing services in different selected classes. After the complete removal of government controls, airlines industry is going on a shakeout under the severe competition which is expected to last a long period. The industry is so difficult that its suppliers have high bargaining power; business requires large expenditures; and the price wars are extreme intensive. To survive and compete in this environment...
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...Case #20 – Southwest Airlines Marisa Melchiorre Amber Harrison Emeka Onyia Company History 1966 Rollin King approached Herb Kelleher’s law office with plan to start low-cost/lowfare airline Ran into legal problems, rival airlines in Texas did everything they could to block new airline Herb Kelleher was determined to start up airline 1971 – Lamar Muse Southwest CEO, background in industry to get it up and starting Raised $7 million in capital and private investors to purchase planes and equipment Flights started between Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston known as the “Golden Triangle” First ever annual profit in 1973 2010 – market share leader in domestic air travel in US, consistently profitable even during down turning economy, profit every year since 1973 Number of passengers increased by more than 28 million 1. Is there anything that you find particularly impressive about Southwest Airlines? One of the most impressive characteristics about Southwest Airlines is their fun, loving, determined company culture that believes first in making employees happy which then results in happy customers. Herb Kelleher was adamant about listening and allowing employees to think and to most importantly be heard. The strong value of the happiness of their spunky employees is their competitive advantage against other rival airlines in the industry. Southwest is able to create a competitive advantage not only with their low prices but also offering a fun and humorous experience...
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...4315*2 Team 4 Strategic Profile and Case Analysis Purpose In the airline industry competitors have to work hard to maintain market share and even more to increase their share. Southwest Airlines has become the market share leader in terms of passengers carried with the simple strategy: “low-cost/low-price/no-frills.” They have done an excellent job in implementing and executing their strategy elements. Some of the most crucial executions in the Southwest strategy are their point-to-point scheduling of flights, customer service and customer satisfaction, and appreciation of employee involvement for continuous company improvement. Although many other airlines can implement the same strategic elements as Southwest has, they would still be behind the times since Southwest has been working efficiently from inception. Throughout this analysis of their performance, one may conform his or her own opinion on how to grade Southwest with the information provided. Alternative strategic suggestions will be evaluated with a preferred alternative choice that could improve the Southwest image and performance. Situation Analysis General Environmental Analysis Until the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, the government had control over airline fares, routes, and market entry. But since Southwest's initial plan was to fly only intrastate routes, they did not have to come under the regulation of the Civil Aeronautics Board. Southwest did, however, encounter some legal and regulatory...
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...with its employees and how they were managed. Successful human resource practices are a key essential for this to be accomplished. Southwest has encouraged its employees to recognize with others at the company to deliver exceptional customer service and to have fun at the workplace. One possible reason Southwest outperforms other airlines serving the same customers and market is their strategy of low costs, low fares, and frequent flights. Southwest also keeps its fares simple. Unlike other airlines that rely heavily on computers and artificial intelligence to maximize flight revenue, Southwest normally offers only two fares on a route, a regular coach fare and an off-peak fare. Overall, Southwest Airlines has been profitable in every one of the last 21 years from when the case study was written. The HR practices that served as sources of Southwest success start with hiring the right people into HR to begin with. Southwest transformed its Human Resource Department from “a police department” to a “People Department.” Southwest recognized that their people are the competitive advantage. They deliver the resources and services to prepare their people to be winners, to support the growth and profitability of the company, while preserving the values and special culture of Southwest Airlines. “The company is only as good as its people.” Southwest constantly reinforced that theme, which is why it has an advantage over their competition. Southwest’s attention to congruency starts...
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...Summary Corporate Culture & Southwest Airline Case Analysis CORPORATE CULTURE Corporate culture is an incredibly powerful factor in a company’s long-term success. No matter how good your strategy is, when it comes down to it, people always make the difference. Corporate Culture * Is the meshing of shared values, beliefs, business principles, and traditions that imbues a firm’s operating style, behavioral norms, ingrained attitudes, and work atmosphere. * Is important because it influences the firm’s actions and approaches to conducting business Corporate culture refers to the shared values, ingrained attitudes, core beliefs and company traditions that determine norms of behavior, accepted work practices, and styles of operating. How was a corporate culture developed and nurtured in your organization? A company’s culture is grounded in and shaped by its core values and ethical standards. I am working at PT. Tempo Scan Pacific, Tbk. and known as Tempo Group. Tempo Group has a “Corporate Culture” implemented in the 5 core values : 1. Honesty 2. Equality 3. Usefulness 4. Responsibility 5. Perseverance Here are a few ways my organization can facilitate the creation of a nurturing the culture : * Communications: This allows information and ideas to flow up from entry-level ranks to the top management of the company, but information from upper management is also shared more readily with the entire company. Always communicate...
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...strength that Southwest Airlines has is its financial stability. As known in the US airline industry, Southwest is one of those airlines who are consistently earning profits despite the problems the industry is facing. With such stability, the corporation is able to make decisions and adjust policies, which other heavily burdened airlines may not be able to imitate. Having a low amount of cost in their operations is one of the contributing factors in Southwest Airlines’ financial success. Such low cost model of the corporation is brought about by an effective strategy. Southwest uses only one type of aircraft – the fuel-efficient Boeing 737. This tactic keeps training and maintenance costs down. Moreover, the no-frills approach to customer service contributed to the low cost of operations for Southwest. The airline does not serve meals on board, and there are no luxurious or first class seats offered. Services like these have been seen by the airline as unnecessary for an airline that provides a short-haul trip from city to city. By these, Southwest were able to offer low price tickets to customers, which was good for the company because most people would prefer to fly without those services mentioned if it meant for cheaper ticket price. Even though Southwest offers no-frills, there is still a high degree of customer satisfaction that continuously builds customer loyalty for the company. As mentioned, Southwest offers low prices on their airplane tickets. Also, Southwest is renowned...
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...September 28, 2014 Southwest Airlines Executive Summary Company: Southwest’s philosophy; “We manage in good times so that our company and our people can be job secure and prosper through bad times,” has served the 47 year old airline very well. Southwest has differentiated itself in the market by creating a low cost and efficient strategy which has allowed it to distinguish itself from any other airline. This being said, in the past few years it has run into some threats that could greatly affect the financial future of the company. SWOT Analysis: Strengths ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Best low cost carrier Reliable Standardized fleet Fleet is owned High number of flights Direct flights Utilizes less popular/expensive airports Focused on customer service No frills Open seating philosophy Great relationship between management and staff ● Established and reputable brand name ● Conservative growth philosophy Opportunities ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Expansion into international markets Expansion of domestic destinations Acquisitions of competitor airlines Improve turnaround efficiency Upgrade fleet Offer customers perks for a price Improve customer satisfaction ● ● ● ● ● Weaknesses ● Confusion caused by open seating philosophy with new customers ● Fleet is aging ● Focused on business travelers ● Growing operating expenses ● Conservative growth philosophy ● Being imitated by other airlines ● Limited destinations Threats Being copied by airlines Economic recession Volatile...
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...Southwest Airlines, owned by Southwest Airlines Company, is a passenger airline primarily operating in the United States. Based on information in their annual stockholders report (Southwest Airlines, 2012), they provide scheduled air transportation for passengers departing and arriving from 103 cities in 41 states. This is limited compared to some of the larger airlines. The airline is the largest US domestic airlines based on the total number of originating passengers boarded. This does not mean they are the largest by fleet size or number of employees. Because of the point to point model rather than the typical hub and spoke model, 71% of Southwest’s fares are non-stop allowing them to increase the total passengers per day per plane. With this point to point model Southwest has made a profit for the past 39 years, and has grown into a $15.7 billion business operating 140 aircraft. Based on Gwynne (2012), Southwest started as a low cost point to point airlines operating from 3 Texas cities in 1971. They offered ticket prices as low as $40 per seat between Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Southwest flew from small airports and was able to get people in and out quickly with fewer hassles as compared to the major airlines of the time. Their market strategy at the time was simple. Get people where they wanted to go, on time, for the lowest price possible. This follows the production concept as described by A Framework For Marketing Management (2012). The early Southwest airlines...
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...efficiency and pass cost saving to its passengers by offering them low prices. The basis on which Southwest builds its competitive advantage is putting employees first, this will make them take real care of customers. It record as the first in the industry in the term of customer service and customer satisfaction based on some conducted surveys. Its strategy is valuable, rarely done because its difficulty to manage, hardly to imitate and organized well by the whole employee from pilot, gatekeeper, cabin crew, ground crew that committed to the company. The employee have one goal congruence with the company’s goal. The Southwest Airlines strategy is keeping costs low and treating employees well and a commitment to managing the company. The employee happy and they give the best service that will give satisfaction to the customer. There are two main strategic areas: a. Operating Costs Southwest Airlines has the lowest fares among its competition. Its lowest fares partly came from low operational costs. Here are the source of cost savings: * Using only one kind of airplane that is ‘Boeing 737’ while competitors are using all kind of airplanes and models. That saves millions for Southwest in maintenance cost, spare-parts inventories and mechanics training. More, every pilot and crew members will be familiar with every plane. On the other hand, using one type of airplane gives Southwest the opportunity to move the aircrafts through the route network without costly reconfigurations...
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...SUMMARY Southwest Airlines provides short haul, high frequency, point-to-point, low-fare services to and from 58 cities across the United States. The company is known for its low-cost fares and superior customer service in the airline industry. The company was started in 1971 with a motto still lived by today, "If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline." This motto has been effective for the company because they recently reported their 58th straight quarterly profit. SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis describes the internal strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a company. The strengths of Southwest include its market leadership, its low-cost business model, and its strong financial performance. Weaknesses are the poor short-term liquidity situation, having only one established alliance, and the declining passenger revenue yields. Opportunities for the company include its new services, the new code-sharing agreement with ATA Airlines, and the overall positive outlook for the airline industry. Threats to Southwest include the increasing jet fuel costs, uncertainty in demand, and an increase in competition. Corporate and Business-level Strategies Southwest's corporate level is to focus on obtaining more of the low-fare market of the airline industry rather than to enter into other aspects of the airline industry...
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...Caso Southwest Airlines 1.Southwest ha dominado el modelo de bajo precio y tiene los resultados financieros para probarlo. ¿Por qué no los de otras compañías aéreas copiar el modelo de Southwest? Southwest es una compañía aérea de bajo costo que se enfoca en un servicio rápido y sencillo, y sin lujos. Nunca ha servido comidas, no tiene reservas de asientos avanzadas, y vuela sólo aviones Boeing. Estas decisiones han ayudado Southwest ser flexible en estos tiempos que ha estado en decrecimiento los pasajeros causado por los ataques terroristas del 9/11 y la crisis económica mundial. Southwest es una de esas líneas aéreas que están en constante ganancias a pesar de los problemas que se enfrenta la industria. Con dicha estabilidad, la empresa es capaz de tomar decisiones y ajustar las políticas, que otras compañías aéreas muy cargadas pueden no ser capaces de imitar. El modelo comercial de Southwest se basa en la racionalización de sus operaciones, lo que se traduce en tarifas bajas y consumidores satisfechos. A continuación se presentan las medidas adoptadas por Southwest para ahorrar dinero y pasar a los clientes a través de tarifas bajas: Hace más de 3,100 viajes cortos de punto a punto en un día. “Boarding passes” unicos Operan un Boeing 737 para todos sus vuelos esto simplifica el proceso de entrenamiento de los empleados y ahorra tiempo y mano de obra. Su programa de precios de combustible que compran combustible con anticipación con contratos a largo plazo...
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...Southwest Airlines Case Study Jared G. Sanders BUSN412 Business Policy April 1, 2012 SOUTHWEST AIRLINES WWW.SOUTHWEST.COM AIRLINE INDUSTRY BACKGROUND /HISTORY/ COMPANY TIMELINE: 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. It was created on the following premise: “If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline!” (www.southwest.com). Today Southwest Airlines flies more than 70 million passengers a year to 60 great cities all across the country, and they do it more than 3,000 times a day. They have 436 of the newest jets in the nation, with each plane being an average age of 9 years. (www.southwest.com). Southwest’s combination of low fares, outstanding customer service, and strong leadership have helped the airline remain profitable even in the midst of tragedies like the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. SWOT ANALYSIS: Southwest was set up for success from the beginning because of its unique upside-down organizational structure. Upper management is at the bottom and supports the front line employees, who are the real experts. Kelleher’s unorthodox leadership style, in which everyone in the company makes management decisions, is largely unheard of these days. The company doesn’t...
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...Case Study Two: Southwest Airlines & Sprint Telecommunications DeVry University: BUSN258 November 30, 2011 Southwest Airlines & Sprint Telecommunications There are many factors that contribute to the success of a company and customer service is one of the more important elements that determine this. A company’s customer service reputation is not built nor fixed overnight; yet it can be a company’s greatest attribute, or attribute greatly to its downfall. Southwest Airlines is known for its world class customer service; this is just the opposite of Sprint Telecommunications which is often noted for its lack of customer service. While exploring the customer service reputation of these two different companies we will discover the vital role and impact of customer service as pertains to the success of these companies. “Southwest Airlines Co. is a low-fare domestic airline that provides primarily short haul, high-frequency airline services. Southwest is one of the largest carriers in the U.S. based on number of domestic passengers. The firm operates 547 Boeing 737 planes, serving 72 cities in 37 states throughout the U.S. The firm operates over 3,100 flights daily (Plunkett 2011).” For those of us who are unfamiliar with Southwest Airlines customer service practices look no further than the company’s philosophy and mission statement. “The Southwest Airlines philosophy serves as the vision and mission for the organization. Certain quality management principles are embodied...
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