Network carriers rely on a hub-and-spoke system, which laboriously collects passengers from "spoke" cities, flies them to a central "hub" airport, and then redistributes them to other spokes. Not Southwest. Most of its flying is nonstop between two points. That minimizes the time that planes sit on the ground at crowded, delay-prone hubs and allows the average Southwest aircraft to be in the air for more than an hour longer each day than a similarly sized jet flown by a network carrier.
Southwest's avoid-the-hubs strategy also pays dividends in on-time operations. According to FlightStats , Southwest's 78 percent on-time performance in June is eight percentage points higher than the industry average and higher than that of any of its major competitors.
There is just one class of service, a decent coach cabin that is slightly more spacious than those of Southwest's competitors. There are no assigned seats. There have never been meals, just beverages and snacks. Keeping it basic allows Southwest to unload a flight, clean and restock the plane, and board another flight full of passengers in as little as 20 minutes compared with as much as 90 minutes on a network airline. Airline efficiency experts say that the savings allow each Southwest jet to fly an extra flight per day.
Extra flights mean extra revenue. Yet for all the accolades the airline has received, they continue to concentrate on their excellent treatment of employees and customers. This part of the blog will dig deeper into why the airline puts an emphasis on the servant leadership model and prioritizes taking care of its own before caring for others. Servant leadership is the practice of taking care of others or serving rather than just simply looking for what is best for the organization.
By concentrating on the needs of others, they could set up authority and likeability since they have generated positive effects on the lives of those around them.
So, what is the benefit of this strategy? The answer is happy workers. Those who are happy with their role are not only more willing to contribute to the company mission but also feel a deeper connection to the company. It can be said that this all starts at the top with the founder Herb Kelleher, who just passed away at the age of This incredible man had contributed so much to the company though he left his last formal role with Southwest a decade ago.
The company described Kelleher in a statement concerning his passing that he was such a pioneer, a maverick, and an innovator. His passion, zest for life, and insatiable investment in relationships were what left people who knew him the lasting and immeasurable impressions. He will forever be the bedrock and esprit de corps of Southwest Airlines. Kelleher was indeed a lawyer by trade, which explains why he always had a passion for helping others.
In other words, his priority was all the people who work for and with him, not the bottom line or his customers. He was not only able to conceptualize and think creatively but also, he sympathized with his employees. People never saw him embarrass anyone who might not be correct or have an idea like his. The answer lies in Herb Kelleher who guided and developed her into a leader. These two worked so well together for so many years since they had a lot in common about values and morals.
They both helped people to develop and succeed in their positions. In fact, Colleen believes her company should be described as the pyramid below, where employees are at the top.
As mentioned, when the employees are treated well and satisfied with their job, then in return, they will take after the customers. And the bottom line is the shareholders, who are affected by happy customers.
Louis on an aging MD with a pack of peanuts. No offense to St. Bad airlines began to merge with other bad airlines, creating bigger, even less likable airlines, every loyalty program I tried ended up so diluted as to be nearly worthless. After more than ten years on the job as a travel writer, I was focusing mostly on North America, which I greatly enjoyed; I was also ready to never get on a plane again. Then I tried Southwest.
By now, almost another ten years have flown by. I still fly for a living, more than I ever did before, mostly in North America.
We follow the Golden Rule. Southwest Airlines makes an extraordinary effort orchestrating its culture and building it to keep it alive — for its culture to overcome the tests of time. Those three things have defined our culture for 36 years. They are intertwined, as one helps add value to the other.
The following infographics illustrate the different strategies Southwest utilizes that embody the heart and soul of its people management practices:. For more actionable content like this, subscribe to our newsletter.
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