Bob Jordan, Southwest Airlines’ CEO, on What Went Wrong

Your unions say that for years, Southwest has been too centered on buyers and hasn’t invested sufficient within the operation. What’s your response to that criticism?

I’ve been requested loads about whether or not we’ve antiquated expertise. We spend a billion {dollars} a 12 months on expertise right here at Southwest. And, like each firm, there are at all times issues which are brand-new, like our upkeep system, and there are at all times issues that you just’re engaged on.

We’ve a extremely good operations enchancment plan. Crew scheduling is a giant a part of that. For those who simply look again on the final 12 months, we put, I feel, eight new variations of SkySolver in. We’ve employed 120 crew schedulers. We put management over crew scheduling and realigned ourselves. I’m not saying for a minute that we’re accomplished or that that’s sufficient.

On the shareholder query, it’s not a singular choice. We’re financially very wholesome. And due to that, we don’t should make selections between investing in expertise or investing in our shareholders. In the course of the holidays, we went to premium pay, we provided gratitude pay, we did gestures of fine will for our workers, identical to for our clients.

How do you regain the belief of your clients?

We’ve acquired a 51-year historical past of working a extremely good airline and having terrific service. That didn’t change simply because we had this occasion.

That doesn’t dismiss the truth that we tousled. I feel one of the best factor that we are able to do is use this occasion as a catalyst to be even higher. This can be a nice firm, however one of the best factor we are able to do for our clients is proceed to supply a terrific product, put money into our product. You’ve seen us do all these issues — we’re including energy ports and bigger bins. Hold investing in them, preserve operating a terrific operation, preserve offering terrific hospitality and be even higher.

Are you able to assist us perceive whenever you knew issues have been going actually incorrect round Christmas?

We plan days and days upfront for storms, hurricanes — all these issues. We watch the operation on daily basis; our leaders are on many calls a day simply to grasp how we’re doing. I’m on a number of calls a day, on a standard day. All that was happening.