Southwest Airlines
Introduction
Service is any act or performance that one party can offer to other that is essentially intangible and does not lead to the ownership of anything. It may or may not be tied to a physical product. Services offers could range from a tangible good with accompanying services to a purely intangible service. Services are inseparable, variable, intangible and perishable. To manage these characteristics, the service firms have to develop a differentiated offer and keep on introducing innovations. The example used for a service organisation here is Southwest Airlines which offers a major service with accompanying goods. It is one of the most profitable and successful airlines in the world. It is known as an unusual company because it does not operate in the same way as all the other airline companies.
Southwest Airlines, Inc. is a low fare airline based in Dallas, Texas. It is the largest airline in the United States by number of passengers carried domestically for any one year. Southwest Airlines carried more customers than any other U.S. airline in August 2006, marking it the first time that Southwest Airlines topped the monthly list for combined domestic and international passengers. Southwest Airlines is one of the industry's most profitable airlines and in January 2007, posted a profit for the 34th consecutive year. Its reputation of having low prices and a fun filled atmosphere has made it an icon of pop culture.
In May 1988, it was the first airline to win the coveted Triple Crown for a month - Best On-time Record, Best Baggage Handling, and Fewest Customer Complaints. Since then it has won the award thirty one times, as well as five annual Triple Crowns for 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, and 19 ...