Case of Southwest Airlines

RUNNING HEAD: OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
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Operations Management

Operations Management
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Executive Summary
This report aimed to analyze the case of Southwest Airlines as it is a well known company in the
Airline industry because of its business model. The business model of the company was based
on success factors such as no meal, no inflight services, high operational efficiency because of
30 min turnaround time and very good organizational culture. But the company altered its
strategy to sustain itself in the market against its competitors that were Air Asia, Spice Jet,
Indigo, and many more in the US. The company adopted strategies such as the development of
long-distance services, changes in the boarding process, and fuel hedging. All these changes
were done because of changes in economic and political factors. Further, the report suggested
the ways to overcome these challenges some of the suggestions were; the company should
acquire slots and gates at LaGuardia Airport, ensure that its core strategy that is low-cost fare
and Southwest Airline experience retain with the company for the long run. In a nutshell, the
company should focus on its expansion, growth, and financial performance by retaining its low-
cost strategy and Southwest Airlines experience that resultant to operational efficiency.

Operations Management
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................3
2. Case Analysis...............................................................................................................................3
3. Conclusions and Summary..........................................................................................................7
4. References....................................................................................................................................9