Southwest Airlines



Southwest Airlines

Introduction

Southwest Airlines is one of the United States of America based low cost airline. The airline which was initiated back in the year 1967 is now the biggest airline in the US based on its coverage of domestic routes. As per the worldwide statistics on the aircraft, it has been observed that the company has a reputation for using the Boeing 737. The paper presents the internal analysis and the SWOT analysis for the airline.

Major offerings

The company is known for its point to point services when the majority of airlines in the US provide hub-and spoke service. It offers domestic flights, loyalty programs such as Frequent fliers, transportation of cargo services within the US, e-commerce whereby customers can buy their tickets online, airport lounge, Arrival suites, and flight training at low rates. The airline is known for its on-time schedule and operational excellence (DataMoitor, 2011).

SWOT analysis

Strengths

The operating strategy of the company is very strong

The fleet operation of the airline is very robust. This must be understood from the fact that the company has very short waiting time at the airport.

The airline has a reputation for increasing cash flow from operations. The operations and the flight scheduling of the airline and its dominance over the short haul domestic destination is something which is very difficult for any other airline to copy.

Weaknesses

The number of lawsuits that have been filed against the company are a potential threat to its good reputation and customer's trust over the airline. These pose a threat to the relationship of the company with its internal stakeholders i.e. the employees and the external stakeholders i.e. the customers.

Another major weakness of the company is that it is dependent on single aircraft and engine suppliers. If today, the company is not able to get the rates from Boeing ...