Behind the Gates of Southwest Airlines by Jonathan Wance In 1971, when Rollin King and Herb Kelleher launched their new airline, they had no idea how big it would become. They wanted an airline that offered low fares, convenient schedules, and friendly staff. Today, Southwest Airlines is the definition of those terms. What has been the secret of their success? Walking through the Southwest Airlines Headquarters door at Dallas’ Love Field, one of the three sites that Southwest first began service almost twenty-five years ago, I had no idea what to expect. I was on a mission, I was there to interview Jonathan T. Shubert, Corporate Communications Manager. But the moment I stepped inside the door, I knew this was going to be an exceptional interview. Southwest’s lobby is a fitting reflection of their style as an airline—sleek, business-like but inviting, and a little whimsical. The first sight that greeted me was the Triple Crown Award, Southwest’s trophy touting their Numero Uno status for Best On-Time Performance, Least Customer Complaints, and Best Baggage-Handling, for three years in a row, 1992-1994. Beyond the trophy case is a comfortable-looking grouping of jade-green leather furniture in front of an imposing desk manned by two very courteous security guards. After signing in and donning my visitors’ badge, I explored the lobby a little further. Suspended high overhead are models of the five special liveries worn by Southwest’s fleet of 737s. Let’s see...Shamu, Lone Star One, Arizona One, California One, and their signature orange and khaki design. At the rear of the lobby are the de rigeur portraits of all the company department heads. But flanking them are cartoon caricatures of each one. Hmmm...could this be a signal of what was to come? This might be a very interesting interview indeed. I noticed that against the wall there was a glass-encased toy airplane, the kind that a child might pedal down the sidewalk. On closer inspection, I learned that it was “T. J. Love”, Southwest’s mascot. He was built by a Southwest employee, and is featured in some cartoons hanging above the case. As I said, whimsical. Mr. Shubert descended in one of the two glass elevators that look out over the lobby. After the customary greetings, I had to ask one burning question: “What are you doing here on a Saturday?” “Well, another guy and I come in one Saturday out of each quarter to clean and straighten the pictures down the halls of the building,” Shubert answered, grinning. “We used to do it during the week , but people kept asking us to come clean their houses, so we started coming on Saturday.” “But why?” I asked. “Because we love the company that we work for, and this is just one little thing that we can do to show our appreciation.” By now I was wondering how I could get a job at Southwest. Shubert went on to say that Southwest may not pay huge salaries in some cases, but people work for them because Southwest treats them like human beings. Southwest was the first airline to be employee-owned. And at some of the high-level staff meetings, front-line employees are invited to attend and share their views. Southwest also has an informal suggestion program in which employees are able to submit suggestions in memo form, and the memos are directed to the appropriate department for evaluation. Strolling toward Shubert’s office, I lingered before a frame of several photos showing Herb Kelleher, the CEO, dressed in white tights and red boxing shorts, arm-wrestling a younger, muscular man. Southwest cheerleaders surrounded the pair. “ Now, that’s one of our PR stunts that turned into a fund-raiser for Ronald McDonald House, our principal charity,” Shubert explained. “ Herb wrestled a man who accused us of using his company’s slogan, "Just Plane Smart." Rather than threatening to sue, he challenged Herb to an arm wrestling contest instead. It was all in good fun, and made a lot of money for charity.” This was sounding more and more like a company I’d like to work for. We passed down a maze of inner hallways, all adorned with various visual displays, from serious paintings to a child’s framed rendering of a Southwest plane, inscribed in a shaky hand, “To Herb, From Matthew.” More whimsy. In his office, Shubert talked admiringly about the way Kelleher handles the company. He reputedly never forgets a face, even at outlying stations. There is an award program in the company called “Heroes of the Heart,” which recognizes outstanding departments that work behind the scenes. The chosen department gets its name painted on the Southwest Heroes of the Heart plane. All these things help keep employees motivated. Kelleher also reads every piece of correspondence that comes to Southwest addressed to him, and personally reviews every complaint, because customer satisfaction is equally as important as employee satisfaction. Southwest has the family feel for everything. Everyone gets a chance at something, nobody is left out, and everyone gets equal attention, even the customer. Although it may look like Southwest jokes a lot, they are also very serious about what they do. Shubert and his co- workers behind the scenes are just some of the many thousands that hold the company together. “We are just like one big family,” avers Shubert. You can see it too, by the way the Flight Attendants treat you on the plane, right down to the birthday cards that they send to their Company Club members. Shubert’s department isn’t just fluff. He manages several employees, who answer every piece of correspondence regarding the company’s service. Shubert gave me some startling statistics—Southwest operates on such a slim profit margin that only five customers per flight can mean the difference between profit or loss. Customers are very important to Southwest. That is why Southwest, and Shubert, are so aggressive in tending to correspondence. When a letter of complaint is received, it is categorized according to origin or type of complaint. Then the letter is directed to one of Shubert’s employees whose area of expertise matches the particular complaint. For instance, one employee specializes in governmental affairs. So letters from ambassadors, senators, etc. are handled by her as well as other corospondence. All complaints and compliments are eventually reviewed by Kelleher. Shubert claims that Southwest works so hard to keep their customers, that only three or four times in his career has he suggested to a customer that perhaps he would be happier flying with someone else. Kelleher also states “The customer is not always right!” Shubert’s history with Southwest dates back seven years. After he met his wife, a Southwest Reservations Agent, he was so impressed with the company that he applied and began working in the Correspondence Department. He has since risen to Manager, and affirms that one of the best things about Southwest is that they reward a person who works hard. Advancement is possible for anyone who is willing to try. On some flights, the flight attendants play a little game with toilet paper. They give each row a roll of paper, and each person passes it to the one behind, until it reaches the back. Whoever gets it to the back first, wins. One might think that all these hi-jinks could be a sign of carelessness, but Southwest has never had a crash in all their twenty-four years of existence. In this company, apparently, high spirits are a sign of pride and involvement on the part of the employees, rather than laxity. The afore-mentioned Triple Crown testifies well enough to Southwest’s professionalism. . How and why does Southwest have a ten-minute turn-around? When Southwest first began service, they owned four Boeing 737-200s. In the winter of 1972, a federal district court prohibited Southwest from flying out-of-state charters. Thus, the company was forced to sell one aircraft But how could they avoid curtailing their regular schedule with only three birds in the air? The only way to do it was to keep the aircraft on the ground as little as possible. Thus, the ten-minute turn-around was born. It remains Southwest’s trademark in the industry. Women make up 53% of the workforce at Southwest, and three of them are Vice Presidents. twenty are captains. This certainly makes at least 53% of the workforce happy. Southwest currently employs approximently 20,000 people. Some of them work for Southwest solely because of the travel and other benefits they receive. OK, so much for the serious stuff. “What’s the funniest letter you ever received?” I queried. Shubert answered with a chuckle, “The funniest letter we ever received was one where a guy was dead serious—he wanted us to pack a parachute for every passenger, on the back of each seat I wrote him a polite reply to the effect that no airline had ever been able to justify such an expenditure. Humor There is a lot of good humor at Southwest. Not only do they have parties on Friday nights on the third floor deck at Headquarters, but they wear costumes for holidays. Last Halloween, for instance,the executive theme was “Bikers” As Shubert amonished, “Planes don’t make money on the ground. They make money n the air.” Teamwork and efficiency are indispensible to quick, safe operation. With three Triple Crowns to their credit, it would be difficult to argue against the effectiveness of the Southwest team. Communication is very important at Southwest—not only the direct communication handled by Shubert’s wordsmiths, but the mass type as well. Displayed in the hallways are framed copies, (well-dusted and straightened), of many of Southwest’s newspaper ads. While Southwest takes business very seriously, they don’t take themselves very seriously. In fact, they’re not above poking fun at themselves and the competition. One of the most memorable ads they have run was their response to Northwest’s claim to be Number One in service—”Liar, liar, pants on fire.” At times, Southwest has capitalized on a combination of down-to-earth humor and its position as new-kid-on-the-block. Early in SW history, Braniff tried to force Southwest out of business by slashing fares from Dallas to Houston Hobby , the one route where they were making money,to a paltry $13. Southwest responded the following Monday in the Houston and Dallas newspapers: “Nobody’s going to shoot Southwest Airlines out of the sky for a lousy $13.” Offering a free bottle of liquor to each traveler, Southwest was swamped with passengers, many of whom entered in to the spirit of the competition, enjoying the spectacle of a tiny upstart airline thumbing its nose at the big boys, and getting away with it. It was a major public relations coup for SW, and helped establish SW in the public mind as a serious contender in the airline arena. A few weeks after SW ended this particular promotion, Braniff withdrew entirely from the Love Field—Hobby route. Shubert pointed out: “We don’t want to hurt people with our advertising,” he explained. As you can see from this article, Shubert plays a very important role in keeping Southwest running, by keeping the cutomers and employees happy. Southwest has a very witty approach to everything, but they are very serious in what they do. This is one of the things that has kept Southwest alive for so many years. And you ask what is the secret to thier success? Humor. As Shubert quips ,“ Fly With Us —We Need The Money!!”