Herb Kelleher Articles

The King of the Skies: Herb Kelleher Gets His Start - Click To Read Article
Almost 40 years ago, Herb Kelleher came up with a radical idea: He wanted to start a no-frills airline that not only ensured people got to where they wanted to go and at low prices, but that they had fun doing it. Today, the small Texas airline he founded in 1971 has become the second largest airline in the world by number of passengers carried. Southwest Airlines carries over 100 million passengers to 63 cities across the U.S. each year.

Reaching New Horizons: Southwest Airlines Takes Off - Click To Read Article
With his own legal experience and his partner’s business acumen, Kelleher was convinced the two of them could see their business lift off. What was their idea? They wanted to create a no-frills airline, and one that would be exempt from the restraints of federal price regulations. By refusing to cross state borders, and operating flights only within the state of Texas, they were able to do so. Kelleher’s new Southwest Airlines offered drastically reduced fares and quickly became a hit with passengers.

Lesson #1: Employees are the Engine of Your Company - Click To Read Article
“I always felt that our people came first,” says Kelleher. “Some of the business schools regarded that as a conundrum. They would say: Which comes first, your people, your customers, or your shareholders? And I would say, it's not a conundrum. Your people come first, and if you treat them right, they'll treat the customers right, and the customers will come back, and that'll make the shareholders happy.”

Lesson #2: Customer Satisfaction is Your Secret Weapon - Click To Read Article
“We have the best customer satisfaction record, based on Transportation Dept. statistics, of any airline in America, the fewest complaints filed per 100,000 passengers carried,” says Kelleher. “So you’re not just getting low fares, you’re also getting wonderful customer service.”

Lesson #3: Personality is Power - Click To Read Article
One day, Kelleher received a letter from one of Southwest’s ramp agents in Oklahoma. It read, “Herb, I’m on to what you’re doing…You’re making work fun – and home work.” Kelleher viewed the letter as validation of his efforts to bring a little personality to his company.

Lesson #4: Learning by Doing is the Better Way - Click To Read Article
“[I] learned it by doing it,” says Kelleher, “and I was scared to death.”

Lesson #5: You Have to Fight to Keep on Flying - Click To Read Article
When the idea for Southwest Airlines first came about, it had some ardent opponents. It was going to be able to sidestep federal regulations and offer greater value to customers. It was going to push point-to-point flights between smaller airports and speed up turnaround times. And, it was going to have a lot of fun doing it.

Flying High: How Kelleher Took Southwest to the Top - Click To Read Article
“I took an aptitude test in college, and it said there were three things I’d be fairly decent at,” says Kelleher, “being a journalist, an editor, or a lawyer.” Nobody – not the other airlines, not the financial community, not even his own aptitude test – believed Kelleher had what it took to start a successful company. So how did this man who was so destined to be a lawyer defy fate and become one of the most successful CEOs of his time?

Herb Kelleher Quotes - Click To Read Article
Herb Kelleher Quotes


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