Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
P.O. Box 36647 - 1CR
Dallas, Texas 75235-1647
1-800-I-FLY-SWA
About Southwest
Gary's Greeting
As seen in this month's edition of "Spirit Magazine"
Gary Kelly
Managing for Bad Times
One of the sweet agonies of childhood was receiving a large gift of money from a relative. (At the time, $25 was a huge amount.) Like a typical kid, I would immediately begin calculating how many model car kits or (when I was older) eight-track cassettes I could buy. Of course, my parents had their own calculations: the compound interest the money would earn in a savings account. With hindsight, I see their wisdom, which was forged by the Great Depression.
While the country is in better shape than those dark days, we still are in the midst of what experts are calling the worst recession in the last 50 to 75 years. Some household names are already history, and by the time you read this, others may be. Still, in the midst of all this gloom, I feel very, very good about the Southwest Airlines brand and where it is headed.
Of course, no one knows the future, and I will be the first to tell you that no one could have predicted the unusual way this financial crisis erupted last fall. But I can tell you emphatically that Southwest Airlines was prepared for it—just like we were prepared to survive the aftermath of 9/11 and the first Gulf War in 1991. My parents knew that family finances would have their ups and downs, and companies are no different. One of the Cultural legacies that our Founder and Chairman Emeritus Herb Kelleher has given us is to manage during the good times so we can survive the bad times. And in our industry, bad times always come along—especially when you least expect them.
To meet unforeseen challenges, we’re all working together to find areas where we can improve productivity and reduce discretionary spending so we can continue to provide long-term job security for our deserving Employees and provide you with low fares. Even in these bad times, we continue to invest in your Customer Experience and make our strong brand even better. You can count on our People to continue to set Southwest apart from the rest of the industry. We’re continuing to position ourselves for the future (and the bad times it can bring), including our first international venture with codeshares to Canada and Mexico. This is a critical year for us, and now is the time for our planning to take shape and our Warrior Spirit to come alive. One thing is sure: 2009 will definitely keep us on our toes, and we are ready!
Gary Kelly
Chairman and CEO
Southwest Airlines
Operation: Kick Tail Recognition
Each month, I recognize Southwest Employees who have received commendations from their Coworkers.
* Houston Flight Attendant Sandra helped make a homecoming special for a returning veteran from Iraq and his wife. On the final leg home to Long Island of a journey that began six flights earlier in Iraq, Sandra asked the deplaning passengers to remain seated while the solider and his wife deplaned. As the couple made their way forward, Sandra gave a detailed account of his service to the nation. Once they deplaned the aircraft, the couple found our Long Island Employees ready to greet them with a bottle of champagne. To add to the welcome, everyone waiting in the gate area stood and applauded. Sandra was the catalyst for what his wife calls “our treasured memory.”
©2009 Southwest Airlines Co. All Rights Reserved
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