A "High Flying" Reply

Gary C. Kelly


Reference Date: May 21st




I don't fly very often, but when I do, I try to stick with airlines that have a good reputation and record. One of the best is Southwest Airlines.

I wrote to the CEO of Southwest to compliment him on his company, as well as to ask for advice. This was the reply I got. While it wasn't from Mr. Kelly himself, I'm not going to classify it as a non-reply because it was two pages and personally written by the "Writing Representative of Labor and Employee Relations." This is what it said:

Dear Mr. Lucas,

Although I certainly respect that you may have hoped to hear from Gary directly, I hope you can appreciate that his busy schedule prevents him from being able to personally respond in a timely manner. Thus, he asked that I do so on his behalf-I hope you're not too disappointed. Gary is humbled by your kind comments and for your request for his guidance on your journey to success.

Although we don't know much about the entertainment industry, I'll let you in on some of the things we look for in a Southwest Employee. Honesty, hard work, and treating others with respect are important values for Employees at our Company, and I believe important in any career endeavor. The best way to discover success is to find a job you love and "throw yourself' into it. It's not about the title or the money; it's about doing what you love and about which you are passionate. Then, it just doesn't feel like work and you will find that success is easily attained because you are completely committed to what you're doing.

Like any business, some days are challenging, especially in light of higher fuel costs and when our Frontline folks and valued Customers are subjected to travel difficulties (such as adverse weather conditions which inherently cause disruptions to our schedules). Some adversities (like weather) are just simply out of our control, but every decision that Gary and our Leaders make have our Employees and Customers' best interests at heart. Being the CEO of a Company like Southwest is extremely rewarding to Gary, because there are 33,000+ Employees who make him so proud to be a part of democratizing the skies and giving our Customers more Freedom to travel-we are committed to offering the most friendly, efficient service, on frequent, ontime flights, at an affordable price to the best destinations.

Southwest Airlines has always been staunchly conservative in our business practices, while still being incredibly generous with our low fares. The fact is, everything about our Company is structured to maintain low costs in order to deliver low fares, while supporting the interests and investments of our Employees and Shareholders. Our utmost hope is a long and prosperous reign of consistently being the low-fare Leader. Nothing would please us more than to continue making airline travel, simple, efficient, and affordable for anyone who wishes to fly.

We wish you nothing but the best on your life's journey. Thanks again for asking for Gary's advice and for letting him know how much you admire him as a Leader. You are very special to us, and we look forward to welcoming your family onboard soon.

Sincerely,

Laura B.

Writing Representative
Labor & Employee Relations


I sent them a thank you the next day