This helped conceal the serious problems in technology, infrastructure and staffing that were occurring and being ignored. When COVID happened, SWA scaled back considerably (as did all of the airlines) for about two years. But no one in leadership would heed our pleas. We could see that the wheels were about ready to fall off the bus. We didn’t have the tools we needed on the line to operate the sophisticated and large airline we had become. We were still operating with 1990’s technology. With each mini meltdown, Leadership continued to ignore the pleas and warnings of the employees in the trenches. But we were watching in frustration and disbelief as our once amazing airline was becoming a house of cards.Ī half dozen small-scale meltdowns occurred during the mid to late 2010’s. We were a motivated, willing and proud employee group wanting to serve our customers and uphold the tradition of our beloved airline, the airline we built and the airline that the traveling public grew to cheer for and love. After all, the stock price was up, so what could be wrong? As we saw more and more deterioration in our operation our asks turned to pleas. The focus was on finances-not operations. We educated them, we informed them, and we made suggestions to them. As the frontline employees began to see the deterioration in our operation, we began to warn our leadership. There was little investment in upgrading technology (after all, how do you measure the return on investing in infrastructure?) or the tools we needed to operate efficiently and consistently. This approach worked for Gary’s first 8 years because we were still riding the strong wave that Herb had built.īut as time went on, the operation began to deteriorate. They all disengaged the operation, disengaged the employees, and focused more on Return on Investment, stock buybacks, and Wall Street. ![]() This trickled down through the lower levels of leadership, as well. The new COO had little or no operational background. Gary named another accountant to be Chief Operating Officer (the person responsible for day-to-day operations). When the CEO doesn’t get out in the trenches, neither do the lower levels of leadership. He didn’t engage front-line employees much. He did not spend much time on the front lines. Gary was an accountant by education, and his style leading Southwest Airlines became more focused on finances and less on operations. When Herb retired in 2004 Gary Kelly became the new CEO. Everything that was needed to run a first-class operation. We had tools, leadership, and employee buy-in. We were a tight operation from top to bottom. That philosophy flowed down through the ranks of leadership to the front-line managers. He always had his pulse on the day-to-day operation and the people who ran it. ![]() ![]() Herb spent lots of time on the front line. He was a very operationally oriented-leader. Herb Kelleher was the brilliant CEO of SWA until 2004. What happened yesterday started two decades ago. And we’ve been begging our leadership to make much-needed changes in order to avoid it. Unfortunately, the frontline employees have been watching this meltdown coming like a slow-motion train wreck for sometime. Many of you have asked what caused this epic meltdown. And quite honestly, Southwest Airlines has given its heart and soul to my family and me. I’ve given my heart and soul to Southwest Airlines during those years. "I’ve been a pilot for Southwest Airlines for over 35 years. In a Facebook post titled, " What happened to Southwest Airlines?" the pilot, who has been working for Southwest Airlines for over 35 years, offers a rich insider's perspective:
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