Southwest Airlines: A Culture of Fun
Happy employees make happy passengers. These are words to live by at Southwest Airlines. "The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit" (http://www.southwest.com). This statement emphasizes the company's commitment to customer service. "Foremost, we want you to know that it is never our wish to inconvenience our valued customers. We tell our employees we are in the customer service business?we just happen to provide airline transportation. It is a privilege to serve your air travel needs" (http//www.southwest.com).
Southwest promotes their frequent flyer program on their website, which allows customers to accumulate points when they fly. "We count credits, not long miles. It takes only eight roundtrips or 16 one-ways within a consecutive, 12-month period on Southwest to receive a roundtrip award" (http://www.southwest.com). These statements suggest that the carrier not only wants to provide good service, but is also concerned with providing benefits not offered at other airlines.
The industry has always been very competitive and Southwest knew they would have to differentiate themselves in order to succeed. Allan (2001) states, "When the company was setup, the owners decided that instead of offering long-haul flights--which would attack the established airlines head on--it would establish short-haul routes with an average distance of around 430 miles" (p. 4). The carrier also put a spin on traditional airline service by launching, "A 'love' theme, un ...