Five Things You Didn’t Know about Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Finds Five Planes In Its 737 Fleet In Need Of Repair

Southwest Airlines Co. is a major U.S. airline and the largest low-cost carrier in the world. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Southwest Airlines was established in 1967 as Air Southwest Co. by Rollin King and Herb Kelleher, who decided to start a different kind of airline. After a three year legal fight with competing airlines, Air Southwest–which changed its name to Southwest Airlines in 1971–began scheduling flights solely within the state of Texas. Now, Southwest Airlines is the nation’s number four airline by traffic, operates more than 3,600 flights per day, employs more than 44,000 people, and has scheduled service to 89 destinations in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and abroad. With a market cap of $22.6 billion, Southwest Airlines is also one of the most profitable airlines in the world. Read on to find out five things you might not know about Southwest Airlines.

5. The Company’s Mission

Surprisingly, the company’s mission statement doesn’t mention anything about flying or even travel. Instead, it focuses more on customer service by stating, “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.” The airline has received relatively positive reviews from its customers over the years.

4. Southwest’s New Look

Earlier this month, Southwest Airlines unveiled a new look echoing its traditional image with a blue, red, and orange color scheme that still emphasizes the company’s heart logo. The company, which hasn’t updated its aircraft’s paint job since 2001, introduced a new logo, typeface, and website along with the reveal of the new paint job for its 680 aircraft. It is expected to take a year to paint the entire fleet and adjust airport signage features.

3. Boeing 737

Over the course of Southwest Airlines’ 47 year history, the company has used only Boeing 737s–except for a few years in the 1970s and 1980s when it leased a few Boeing 727s. Southwest Airlines is the largest operator of the 737 with over 600 in service worldwide, each averaging six flights per day. The company recently became the launch customer for the new Boeing 737 MAX7 aircraft with 30 on order. The first delivery is expected in 2019.

2. Safety First

Southwest Airlines has never had any on board deaths as a result of a crash since its incorporation in 1967, making the airline one of the safest in the world. The airline’s incidents include two deaths–one non-passenger death on the ground in 2005 and one passenger homicide in the air in 2000–and eight accidents. Of the eight accidents, including two aircraft hull losses, only 55 total injuries were reported with most of them being minor.

1. AirTran Airways Integration

In May of 2011, Southwest Airlines acquired AirTran Airways, another low-cost American airline. The next year, the companies were issued a single operating certificate, essentially making them one airline under the Southwest Airlines brand. Through the integration of AirTran–which plans to be fully complete by the end of December–Southwest will add services to Aruba, Cancun, Mexico City, Montego Bay, Nassau, Punta Cana, and San Jose Cabo by the year’s end.

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

Written by Derrick Krom

Derrick is a recent graduate of Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia where he received a B.A. in English and Communication Studies. Throughout his life, Derrick has traveled the country and even got to study abroad in London, England for four amazing months. He's a guitar player, avid music fan and lover of literature, film, and all things entertainment.