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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 DallasÆ 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.  SouthwestÆs lobby is a fitting reflection of their
style as an airlineùsleek, business-like but inviting, and a little
whimsical.

The first sight that greeted me was the Triple Crown Award, SouthwestÆs
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 visitorsÆ badge, I explored the lobby a
little further. Suspended high  overhead are models of the five special
liveries worn by SouthwestÆs fleet of 737s.  LetÆs 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 ôT. J. Loveö, SouthwestÆs 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:
ôWhat are you doing here on a Saturday?ö
ôWell, another guy and I come in one Saturday out of each quarter to clean
and straighten the pictures down the halls of the building,ö  Shubert
answered, grinning.  ôWe used to do it during the week , but people kept
asking us to come clean their houses, so we started coming on Saturday.ö
ôBut why?ö I asked.
ôBecause we love the company that we work for, and this is just one little
thing that we can do to show our appreciation.ö
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 ShubertÆs 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. ô Now, thatÆs one of our  PR stunts that turned into a
fund-raiser for Ronald McDonald House, our principal charity,ö Shubert
explained.  ô Herb wrestled a man who accused us of  using his companyÆs
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.ö  This was sounding more and more like a company
IÆd like to work for.

We passed down a maze of inner hallways, all adorned with various visual
displays, from serious paintings to a childÆs framed rendering of a Southwest
plane, inscribed in a shaky hand, ôTo Herb, From Matthew.ö  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 ôHeroes of the Heart,ö 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. ôWe are just like one big family,ö 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.

ShubertÆs department isnÆt just fluff.  He manages several  employees, who
answer every piece of correspondence regarding  the companyÆs service.
Shubert gave me some startling statisticsùSouthwest 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 ShubertÆs
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 ôThe customer is not always right!ö

ShubertÆs 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 SouthwestÆs 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 SouthwestÆs 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.  ôWhatÆs the funniest letter you ever
received?ö I queried.  Shubert answered with a chuckle, ôThe funniest letter
we ever received was one where a guy was dead seriousùhe 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
ôBikersö

As Shubert amonished,  ôPlanes donÆt make money on the ground.  They make
money n the air.ö  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 Southwestùnot only the direct
communication handled by ShubertÆs wordsmiths, but the mass type as well.
Displayed in the hallways are framed copies, (well-dusted and straightened),
of many of SouthwestÆs newspaper ads.  While Southwest takes business very
seriously, they donÆt take themselves very seriously.  In fact, theyÆre not
above poking fun at themselves and the competition.  One of the most
memorable ads they have run was their response to NorthwestÆs claim to be
Number One in serviceùöLiar, liar, pants on fire.ö   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:  ôNobodyÆs going to
shoot Southwest Airlines out of the sky for a lousy $13.ö  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 FieldùHobby route.
Shubert pointed out:
ôWe donÆt want to hurt people with our advertising,ö 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 ,ô Fly With Us ùWe Need The Money!!ö