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80-430: The TAC played what might be its most prominent role in certifying and regulating Southwest Airlines as a Texas intrastate airline . For the first eight years of operation, Southwest flew solely within the state of Texas. In doing so, and taking certain other steps to minimize its participation in interstate commerce, it escaped then-tight Federal economic regulation. Without the alternative of TAC intrastate regulation, it

160-448: A CAB certificate. The results of such investigations were not necessarily a foregone conclusion. In 1976, the CAB ended a long investigation by deciding ZIA was, in fact, not a common carrier (and thus did not require certification), going against the decision of its own administrative law judge. Ironically, this happened only a year before ZIA separately applied for and received certification as

240-770: A brief period when it operated a handful of leased Boeing 727 aircraft). Southwest is the world's largest operator of the Boeing 737, and was the launch customer of the 737-300 , 737-500 , and 737-700 . It took delivery of its 1,000th Boeing 737 in 2023. Using a single basic aircraft type allows Southwest pilots and flight attendants to crew any aircraft in the fleet without restrictions. Southwest Airlines solely offers economy class seating and does not have business class or first class cabins on its aircraft. The company permits two free-of-charge checked bags per passenger, and passengers are permitted to change their flight up to 10 minutes prior to their flights without extra charge. In

320-404: A camera hidden in the plane's toilet to an iPad , and that one of the pilots said that such cameras were a "top-secret security measure" installed in all of the airline's 737-800 aircraft. Southwest and the pilot union stated that the film was a hoax and a "poor attempt at humor" by one of the pilots, who had previously recorded himself on a different aircraft, fully clothed. In February 2020,

400-541: A destination, including any stops or connections on Southwest Airlines. When 16 credits were accumulated in a 24-month period, Southwest awarded one free round-trip ticket that was valid for 12 months. On March 1, 2011, Rapid Rewards changed to a points system based on ticket cost. Members earn and redeem points based on a four-tier fare scale multiplier and the cost of the ticket. Changes also included no blackout dates , seat restrictions, or expiring credits. Since October 18, 2019, Rapid Rewards points do not expire as long as

480-504: A high level of employee and aircraft productivity with low unit costs by reducing aircraft turnaround time, particularly at the gate. Europe's EasyJet and Ryanair are two of the best-known airlines to follow Southwest's business strategy in that continent. Other airlines with a business model based on Southwest's system include Canada's WestJet , Malaysia 's AirAsia (the first and biggest LCC in Asia ), India's IndiGo , Australia's Jetstar ,

560-526: A large Indiana-based air travel club. Voyager, which had a fleet comprising a Boeing 720 , two Lockheed Electras and some piston aircraft and its own terminal at Indianapolis Airport , unsuccessfully appealed to the federal courts. The chief pilot of Voyager was George Mikelsons , who left to found what later became ATA Airlines . The CAB went on to shut two other large clubs in 1974 and 1975. Notwithstanding these enforcement actions, in November 1979 (within

640-453: A lawsuit, the CEOs for both companies staged an arm-wrestling match. Held at the now-demolished Dallas Sportatorium and set for two out of three rounds, the loser of each round was to pay $ 5,000 to the charity of his choice, with the winner gaining the use of the trademarked phrase. A promotional video was created showing the CEOs "training" for the bout (with CEO Herb Kelleher being helped up during

720-487: A new Training and Operational Support building, across the street from its current headquarters building. The property includes a two-story, 100,000-square-foot Network Operations Control building that can withstand an EF3 tornado. It also includes a four-story, 392,000-square-foot office, and training facility with two levels devoted to each function. The new facilities house 24-hour coordination and maintenance operations, customer support and services, and training. The project

800-524: A report conducted by the DOT inspector general found that Southwest was flying airplanes with safety concerns and that the Federal Aviation Administration was failing to properly oversee the airline. In 2020, a captain of a Southwest flight watched pornography on a laptop computer with his clothes removed while his female first officer continued her duties. The captain retired before the incident

880-513: A settlement with a U.S. company —and Kelly retired early. Southwest simultaneously promoted industry veteran Rakesh Gangwal , had been appointed to the board in July 2024, to chair of the board. Gangwal is co-founder of India's largest airline IndiGo and a former senior executive at United Airlines and US Airways . As of January 2024 , Southwest Airlines flies to over 100 destinations in 42 states, Puerto Rico , Mexico , Central America , and

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960-417: A sit-up where a cigarette and glass of Wild Turkey 101 whiskey was waiting) and distributed among the employees and also as a video press release along with the video of the match itself. Herb Kelleher lost the match for Southwest, with Stevens Aviation winning the rights to the phrase. Kurt Herwald, CEO of Stevens Aviation, immediately granted the use of "Just Plane Smart" to Southwest Airlines. The net result

1040-411: A subsidiary of Qantas (although Jetstar now operates three aircraft types), Philippines ' Cebu Pacific , Thailand 's Nok Air , Mexico 's Volaris , Indonesia 's Lion Air and Turkey 's Pegasus Airlines . Southwest Airlines has a history of lobbying against high-speed rail , which it sees as a competitor for short-distance commuter flights. In the early 1990s, Southwest lobbied US Congress and

1120-571: A supplemental air carrier. Air travel clubs were membership organizations, nominally private, that had their own aircraft and ran trips for members. In 1968, the FAA instituted Part 123 of the Federal Aviation Regulations under which air travel clubs had their own operational requirements. Starting in the early 1970s, the CAB went after some of the largest air travel clubs for being de-facto common carriers. In 1973, it shut down Voyager 1000,

1200-649: A testing phase that began in February 2009, Southwest announced on August 21, 2009, that it would begin rolling out in-flight Wi-Fi Internet connectivity via Global Eagle Entertainment's satellite-broadband-based product. Southwest began adding Wifi to its aircraft in the first quarter of 2010. The airline began testing streaming live television in the summer of 2012 and video on demand in January 2013. As of September 2, 2023, live in-flight TV, movies, messaging (iMessage and WhatsApp) and real-time flight-tracking information via Wi-Fi

1280-652: A union not affiliated with the Air Line Pilots Association , represents the airline's pilots. The aircraft maintenance technicians are represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association . Customer service agents and reservation agents are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union. Flight dispatchers, flight attendants, ramp agents, and operations agents are represented by

1360-451: Is available to passengers, with full Internet access available at a fee for regular passengers. Southwest first began to offer a frequent-flyer program on June 18, 1987, calling it The Company Club . The program credited for trips flown regardless of distance. Southwest Airlines renamed its frequent-flyer program Rapid Rewards on April 25, 1996. The original Rapid Rewards program offered one credit per one-way flight from an origin to

1440-403: Is now its most popular destination. Southwest Airlines was profitable for 47 consecutive fiscal years, from 1973 through 2019. Southwest experienced a holiday meltdown in 2022 resulting in the cancellation of thousands of flights representing over 70% of its schedule following the late December 2022 North American winter storm . As a result of the crisis, the airline reached a settlement with

1520-505: Is unlikely Southwest would have started at all, as Southwest was explicitly modeled on Pacific Southwest Airlines , a successful intrastate carrier operating within California. TAC oversight gave Southwest far more freedom to operate as it saw fit than did then Federal regulation. TAC hearings for Southwest (then styled "Air Southwest") were held in 1967, and in February 1968, the TAC voted to grant

1600-711: The Caribbean . Southwest uses a point-to-point system combined with a rolling-hub model in its base cities, in contrast to the hub-and-spoke system of other major airlines. As of November 2024 , the Southwest Airlines fleet consists of 828 aircraft, making it the fourth-largest commercial airline fleet in the world. All of the aircraft Southwest Airlines operates are from the Boeing 737 family of narrow-body airliners. Since its inception, Southwest Airlines has almost exclusively operated Boeing 737 aircraft (except for

1680-424: The Federal Aviation Administration just like any other carrier. Uncertificated carriers , known by a variety of names over time, such as contract carriers or Part 45 carriers , were airlines which escaped CAB regulation by not being common carriers - in other words, they did not hold themselves out to the public as a carrier. Zantop Air Transport was an example of such a company, flying aircraft on behalf of

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1760-701: The US Department of Transportation (DOT), had a bigger impact on the CAB. The 1966 Act established the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as part of DOT, which absorbed the CAB safety function, which was to investigate most airline accidents. Unlike the FAA, which (renamed as the Federal Aviation Administration) became part of DOT in the 1966 Act, the CAB remained an independent government agency. While CAB regulation suppressed free competition , it provided security for

1840-483: The United States Department of Transportation including a record-setting $ 140 million fine , the largest fine ever imposed by the agency by a factor of roughly 30, and reported losses exceeding $ 1.1 billion stemming from the crisis. In May 2024, Southwest fares started showing on Google for the first time after long being excluded from the search engine's search results. Southwest lost $ 219 million in

1920-589: The Watres Act , which had regulated commercial aviation since the mid-1920s, and created a new agency, the Civil Aeronautics Authority. The agency was renamed in 1940, due to a merger with the Air Safety Board. It became an independent agency under Reorganization Plans Nos. III and IV of 1940, effective on June 30, 1940. The Air Safety Board had formed in 1938. Other predecessor agencies included

2000-625: The Aeronautics Branch (1926–1934), the Bureau of Air Commerce (1934–1938), and the Bureau of Air Mail, Interstate Commerce Commission (1934–38). The first air accident investigation led by the CAB was the 1940 Lovettsville air disaster . Some duties were transferred to the Federal Aviation Agency in 1958. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was established in 1967, taking over air accident investigation duties. Under

2080-399: The CAB allowed local service carriers to compete on some routes with trunklines and some local service carriers became sizeable airlines. However, as shown in the table below, in 1978, just prior to deregulation, the largest local service carrier Allegheny (soon to rename itself USAir ) was still smaller in revenue terms than the smallest trunk, National , and basic operating statistics show

2160-401: The CAB from regulating certain things: frequency, equipment, accommodations and facilities. It was up to the carrier to determine what aircraft it flew and how often and what airport or ticket facilities it built/rented, and so forth. However, the CAB did generally require a minimum adequate service, e.g. often two flights/day, in a market. The Civil Aeronautics Authority Act of 1938 superseded

2240-580: The CAB saw as making them common carriers. For instance, in February 1961, the issued a cease-and-desist order to, among others, Trans Global Airlines, Inc. aka Golden State Airlines, a Part 45 carrier, for carrying passengers to the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas for "free". The fact that transportation was provided as part of the cost of accommodation did not make the airline any less a common carrier, and therefore guilty of providing interstate air transportation without

2320-481: The CAB's taxonomy of certificated scheduled airlines (see "Airline categories" below). However, in 1972 the CAB expanded this category to include aircraft of 30 passengers or fewer, with a payload of less than 7,500 lbs. Such carriers did have to obtain Federal Aviation Administration operational/safety certification but were otherwise able to fly wherever they pleased. The CAB would, on occasion, also exempt air-taxi or commuter operators to operate aircraft larger than

2400-586: The Civil Aeronautics Authority Act that created the CAB. These were carriers such as United Air Lines , American , TWA , etc, all with origins going back to the 1920s and 1930s. For a summary, see the table below. After World War II, the CAB certificated a second set of scheduled carriers, the local service carriers . In theory, local service airlines served smaller routes than the trunklines, though most trunklines tended to have some legacy points on their networks that were quite small. Over time,

2480-652: The Company’s strategy." That September, in response to pressure from Elliott, Southwest announced that Gary C. Kelly would retire in 2025 rather than seeking reelection as executive chairman , and that several members of the corporate board would be replaced. Bob Jordan remained as chief executive officer (CEO) despite Elliot's efforts to oust him. In September 2024, Southwest Airlines announced its first airline partnership with Icelandair . In November 2024, five of Elliot's nominees were seated on Southwest’s board—the largest number of board seats ever gained by Elliott in

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2560-453: The Country", "THE Low Fare Airline", "Grab your bag, It's On!", and "Welcome Aboard". The airline's slogan (as of 2022) is "Low fares. Nothing to hide. That's TransFarency!" In March 1992, shortly after Southwest started using the "Just Plane Smart" motto, Stevens Aviation , which had been using "Plane Smart" for its motto, advised Southwest that it was infringing on its trademark. Instead of

2640-740: The TAC were reorganized into the new Texas Aviation Department in 1989, which in turn was folded into the Texas Department of Transportation in 1991 as the Aviation Division. Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines Co. is a major airline in the United States that operates on a low-cost carrier model. It is headquartered in Love Field, Dallas , in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex , and has scheduled service to 121 destinations in

2720-552: The Texas Legislature to oppose a high-speed rail system between Dallas , San Antonio , and Houston , and filed three lawsuits against the initiative. In 1991, Southwest told Texas authorities, "Rail has a romantic appeal, but this case cannot be decided on the basis of nostalgia or even a desire to emulate the rail service of France and Germany. The American reality is that high-speed rail will be viable in Texas only by destroying

2800-745: The Transport Workers Union. The company has appeared on various "best places to work" list, with its employee culture mentioned by Travel and Leisure , CNBC , and Forbes . The company has also been named to Fortune magazine's "Most Admired Companies" list, reaching number 14 in 2021. Southwest has never furloughed an employee. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic , the company launched voluntary separation and extended time-off programs in 2020, and around 16,900 employees volunteered to take an early retirement or long-term leave . Roughly 24% were pilots and 33% were flight attendants. In late 2020,

2880-578: The US Supreme Court by those determined to stop Southwest. Under TAC economic oversight, Southwest successfully started operations in 1971 and expanded across Texas by 1978, from Harlingen in the south to El Paso in the west, growing from three aircraft to 13. By that time Southwest had come to dominate intra-Texas air travel, having dropped fares significantly and stimulated markets substantially. Southwest's prominent success in Texas ultimately helped inspire

2960-643: The US automakers on a private basis (before it acquired a supplemental certificate in 1962). "Part 45" was a reference to the then Civil Aviation Regulations under which the then Federal Aviation Agency regulated the operations/safety of such non-common carrier operators. Over time, the Civil Aviation Regulations (subsequently the Federal Aviation Regulations ) changed. Instead of Part 45, such uncertificated carriers were moved to being regulated under Part 42. They then became known as Part 42 carriers . Finally,

3040-506: The United States and ten other countries. As of 2018, Southwest carried more domestic passengers than any other United States airline. It is currently the third largest airline in the world based on passengers flown. The airline was established on March 9, 1967, by Herb Kelleher and Rollin King as Air Southwest Co. and adopted its current name, Southwest Airlines Co., in 1971, when it began operating as an intrastate airline wholly within

3120-433: The aircraft multiple times. Police ultimately had to escort her away. On December 29, 2017, a family was removed from a flight from Chicago Midway Airport because of an unconfirmed head lice accusation. The family did not have lice and was re-accommodated on a flight two days later. In October 2019, a Southwest flight attendant filed a lawsuit against the airline, claiming that two pilots had livestreamed footage from

3200-641: The airline changed its name to Southwest Airlines and began operating regularly scheduled flights between the Texas Triangle cities of Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. In 1975, Southwest began flying to other cities in Texas, and in 1979, after passage of the Airline Deregulation Act , it began flying to adjacent states. It started service to the East and the Southeast in the 1990s, and Denver in 2006, which

3280-596: The airline issued some WARN Act notices and announced incipient pay cuts for many employees in response to pandemic impacts, but these measures were rescinded after the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 was enacted on December 27, 2020, providing additional financial aid to US airlines. The latest five year labor contract for Southwest Airlines pilots was approved in January 2024. Southwest and its business model have had an influence on other low-cost carriers (LCC's). The competitive strategy combines

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3360-531: The carrier's executive chairman with the desire to serve in that role through at least 2026 at the discretion of the board of directors. Jordan also joined the board then. On January 10, 2017, Southwest announced changes to the company's executive leadership ranks, with Thomas M. Nealon named as president and Michael G. Van de Ven as the airline's chief operating officer. On September 14, 2021, Southwest announced Nealon had decided to retire from his duties as president effective immediately, but would continue to serve

3440-449: The case of Hawaii, flying overwater between the islands, which was upheld in court as being intrinsically interstate commerce because the Federal government had domain over the seas. Note that the Federal government, while not providing economic regulation over intrastate carriers, did regulate them from an operational/safety standpoint. For those purposes intrastate airlines were regulated by

3520-448: The case of air taxis, the CAB chose not to regulate. In the case of intrastate airlines, it was legally unable to. Restriction of flying to a single state was not sufficient to avoid CAB regulation; the additional measures to avoid interstate commerce were critical. Furthermore, flying within a single state was generally interpreted strictly. An aircraft flying outside the boundaries of that one state could trigger CAB authority, including, in

3600-586: The chairmanship of John Robson, the Civil Aeronautics Board "in April 1976 did the unthinkable, becoming the first regulatory body to support deregulation," which President Gerald Ford first spurred in February 1975 with a proposal to abolish the CAB altogether. In the late 1970s, during the administration of President Jimmy Carter , and under the guidance of his economic advisor Alfred E. Kahn (who had specialized in regulatory economics, having written one of

3680-450: The company as a strategic advisor. Chief Operating Officer Mike Van de Ven was named as the company's president the same day, and remains COO. In September 2024, in response to pressure from Elliott Investment Management, Kelly announced that he would not seek reelection as executive chairman in 2025. Jordan is expected to remain as CEO. About 83% of Southwest employees are members of a union . The Southwest Airline Pilots' Association,

3760-536: The convenient and inexpensive transportation service the airlines now provide, and only by absorbing huge public subsidies." In 1994, the high-speed rail initiative was cancelled. While several reasons led to the initiative's demise, most commentators attribute a key role to Southwest Airlines' aggressive campaign against it. The company has always employed humor in its advertising. Former slogans include "Love Is Still Our Field", "Just Plane Smart", "The Somebody Else Up There Who Loves You", "You're Now Free to Move About

3840-445: The deregulation of the US airline industry starting in 1979. This would leave the TAC with no airlines to regulate, since under US deregulation, Federal economic airline regulation was effectively abolished. This meant there was no longer any advantage in being an intrastate carrier. Starting in 1979, Southwest converted its certificate from state to Federal and started the process of expanding outside of Texas. The remaining functions of

3920-753: The establishment of the National Transportation Safety Board in 1967, conducted air accident investigations. The agency was headquartered in Washington, D.C. The authority of the Civil Aeronautics Board to regulate airlines was established by the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938. The 1938 Act was amended by the Federal Aviation Act of 1958, but the main effect of that was to establish the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), which among other things regulated (as it still does) airline operations and safety. The 1966 Department of Transportation Act, which established

4000-698: The event of a cancellation, passengers are refunded a travel credit in the amount spent on their ticket, and the credit may be used toward other Southwest Airlines or Southwest Vacations purchase. The credit does not expire. Southwest offers free in-flight nonalcoholic beverages and offers alcoholic beverages for sale for $ 6 to $ 7 per beverage. Free alcoholic drinks are offered to passengers who are at least 21 on some holidays such as Valentine's Day and Halloween . They also have complimentary snacks on all flights. Southwest has become known for colorful boarding announcements and crews who sometimes burst out in song. Prior to 2007, Southwest boarded passengers by grouping

4080-496: The existing airlines, avoided gluts and shortages of passengers on certain routes, and (partly by allowing airlines to carry air mail ) secured airline service for communities that would have otherwise been served less, or not have been served at all (due to low passenger traffic or other reasons). CAB authority included: Airlines had no ability to make competitive decisions, absent CAB approval, on choice of route or fare charged on any particular route. The Act also prevented

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4160-764: The fastest method currently in use for passengers to board a plane; on average, it is 10 minutes faster than the standard method. The airline was also number-one on the 2020 Airline Quality Rating list. Southwest has a "customer of size" policy in which the cost of a second seat is refunded for any plus-sized travelers who take up more room than one seat. On July 25, 2024, Southwest announced that it would soon be ending its long-standing open seating policy. The airline will start assigning seats, introduce premium seating options with more legroom, and launch overnight flights beginning in 2026. As of September 2023, Wi-Fi costs $ 8, and allows for streaming live television, movies, streaming music, and app messaging. After completing

4240-470: The first federal regulatory regime, since the 1930s, to be totally dismantled — and this happened on January 1, 1985. The remaining tasks were transferred to the Secretary of Transportation except for a few going to the U.S. Postal Service . The CAB regulated almost all air transportation in the US, but there were some exceptions. The CAB chose not to regulate airlines flying "small aircraft". This

4320-441: The first year of deregulation) there were still 11 air travel clubs operationally regulated under Part 123, though by May 1980 it had dropped to seven. The CAB divided the airlines it regulated into categories according to the roles they were meant to play. The following draws from the CAB's FY 1977 Report to Congress dated May 1978, and so reflects the state of CAB airline certification just prior to deregulation. The first split

4400-477: The fourth quarter of 2023 and $ 231M in the first quarter of 2024; that April, it announced it would limit hiring and cease serving four airports. In June 2024, Elliott Investment Management , an activist investment fund, announced that it had bought $ 1.9 billion in Southwest stock and would seek to oust leadership at the carrier, arguing it had "failed to evolve" citing "leadership’s stubborn unwillingness to evolve

4480-535: The internal practice of ranking "employees first, customers second". Collective bargaining Southwest Airlines employees is represented by the Southwest Airlines Pilot Association union. Bob Jordan , formerly executive vice president of corporate services, became Southwest's sixth CEO on February 1, 2022, replacing Gary C. Kelly . Kelly continues as chairman of Southwest Airlines. Kelly replaced former CEO Jim Parker on July 15, 2004, and assumed

4560-617: The limits. For instance, in 1971, it exempted Executive Airlines and Air New England (at that time a commuter carrier) to fly propeller aircraft up to 44 seats to expand service in New England. On five occasions, the CAB certificated former air taxi/commuter airlines to fly larger aircraft. These airlines were then regulated by the CAB like any other CAB carrier: An airline that restricted flying to within one state and took other steps to minimize participation in interstate commerce could avoid CAB regulation and fly as an intrastate airline . In

4640-593: The local service carriers as flying distinctly less capacity, smaller aircraft and shorter routes than the trunks. Local service carriers were also the biggest recipients of CAB subsidies, as shown below. In 1978, the CAB paid a total of $ 66.3 million in subsidies to airlines (over $ 275 million in 2024 dollars) of which $ 58.5 million was paid to local service carriers, equivalent to over 40% of local service carrier operating profits that year. Other CAB domestic categories included intra-Alaskan , Hawaiian , helicopter , regional , air taxi , and cargo . Historically there

4720-525: The member is alive. It also adds more options to use points. The key trends for Southwest Airlines are (as of the financial year ending December 31): The Southwest Airlines headquarters are located on the grounds of Dallas Love Field in Dallas . Chris Sloan of Airways magazine stated they are "as much a living, breathing museum and showcase for the 'culture that LUV built' as they are corporate offices." On September 17, 2012, Southwest broke ground on

4800-472: The necessary certificate and give Southwest the economic right to fly between Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. There then followed two-to-three years of legal challenges to that decision, with Federally-regulated airlines flying within Texas determined to stop Southwest before it started. This included two successful appeals to the Texas Supreme Court on the part of Southwest and one unsuccessful appeal to

4880-457: The new pilot training facility. The LEAD Center has the capacity to house and support 18 flight simulators. It is designed to be expanded to accommodate up to 26 simulator bays. The building opened on April 3, 2018. On August 16, 2019, Southwest announced an expansion of the LEAD Center to accommodate eight additional simulators for future operational and training demands. On January 2, 2020, it

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4960-444: The passengers into three groups, labeled A, B and C. Passengers would line up at their specified letter and board. In 2007, Southwest modified its boarding procedure by introducing a number. Each passenger receives a letter (A, B, or C) and a number 1 through 60. Passengers lineup in numerical order within each letter group and choose any open seat on the aircraft. A 2012 study on the television series MythBusters , found this to be

5040-457: The regulations were completely revamped, with most commercial operations moved to Part 121. Such operators were then known as Part 121 commercial operators or simply just commercial operators . A prominent example of such a carrier was Zantop International Airlines (ZIA), which started in 1972 as a Part 121 commercial operator, uncertificated by the CAB. The CAB regularly enforced its powers against uncertificated carriers engaged in activities

5120-459: The safest in the world. No passenger has died as a result of a crash. On June 22, 2011, a March 25 recording was released to the press of an apparently inadvertent in-flight radio transmission of Southwest captain James Taylor conversing with his first officer. The conversation was peppered with obscenities directed at gay, overweight, and older flight attendants. According to Southwest, the pilot

5200-421: The same kind of proceedings as huge airlines like United and American. 1975 certification proceedings for Munz Northern were memorialized in 32 pages of CAB reports, encompassing the deliberations of the (usually five but in this case four) member CAB board itself, plus the earlier deliberations of an administrative law judge in front of whom six people appeared, representing Munz and two other interested parties. At

5280-642: The scheduled carriers. Scheduled carriers were split between domestic and international. Two carriers were exclusively international: Air Micronesia (a subsidiary of Continental Airlines ) and cargo carrier Seaboard . One carrier was almost exclusively international: Pan Am and, until deregulation, was not permitted to sell tickets for transport within the continental US. While it could fly aircraft from, say, New York to Los Angeles, it could not sell tickets between New York and Los Angeles despite having significant international operations in both cities. All other international carriers were also domestic carriers. There

5360-576: The standard texts and previously been chairman of the New York Public Service Commission , the body regulating utilities in New York State , and was appointed CAB Chairman), the CAB continued to be the focus of the early deregulation movement, and its dissolution was one of the most conspicuous pioneering events of the movement. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 specified that the CAB would eventually be disestablished —

5440-616: The state of Texas, first flying between Dallas, Houston , and San Antonio . It began regional interstate service in 1979, expanding nationwide in the following decades. Southwest currently serves airports in 42 states and multiple Central American destinations. Southwest's business model is distinct from that of other US airlines. It uses a rolling hub and point-to-point network and allows free checked baggage . Its fleet exclusively consists of Boeing 737 jets. The airline has nearly 66,100 employees and operates about 4,000 daily departures during peak travel season. Southwest Airlines

5520-547: The time, Munz had six aircraft, each carrying 10 people or fewer. Further, Munz then had the same reporting requirement as carriers like United, all the usual reams of data that had to be sent to the CAB, for a carrier a tiny fraction of the size. The agency had its headquarters in the Universal Building in Dupont Circle , Washington, D.C. The agency had moved there by May 1959. Previously it had been headquartered in

5600-519: The title of president on July 15, 2008, replacing former president Colleen Barrett . In July 2008, Herb Kelleher resigned from his position as chairman. Barrett left her post on the board of directors and as a corporate secretary in May 2008 and as president in July 2008. Kelleher was president and CEO of Southwest from September 1981 to June 2001. On June 23, 2021, Southwest announced that chairman and CEO Gary Kelly would transition roles in early 2022, becoming

5680-522: Was a territorial category, superseded by Hawaiian and Intra-Alaskan after Hawaii and Alaska became states. Some carriers had more than one domestic status. For instance, Alaska Airlines was listed as both an Alaska carrier and a trunk, however, for the purposes of 1978 CAB statistics it was counted as an Alaska carrier. The wide variety of carriers in the table below hints at problems with just one facet of CAB regulation. Tiny Alaskan back-country carriers like Munz Northern and Kodiak-Western were subject to

5760-410: Was a split within international between passenger airlines (which were always free to carry cargo and sometimes flew pure cargo aircraft) and cargo airlines. Domestic had many subcategories. The original CAB scheduled carriers were known as trunkline carriers , trunklines , trunk airlines or simply just trunks, with most (but not all) such carriers having certificates dating back to 1938, the date of

5840-438: Was announced that Southwest would be purchasing an additional 3 acres (1.2 ha) of land adjacent to its Wings and LEAD facilities. No additional details were disclosed. As of June 30, 2022 , Southwest Airlines had 62,333 active full-time equivalent employees. According to The Washington Post , it uses the hiring motto of seeking people that have a "Servant's Heart, Warrior Spirit, Fun-LUVing Attitude". It also uses

5920-475: Was between scheduled and non-scheduled (charter carriers). The CAB referred to non-scheduled carriers, in 1978, as supplemental air carriers . Prior to 1955, the CAB called them irregular air carriers . Scheduled carriers were also free to offer charters. Throughout the history of the CAB, the supplementals constantly attempted to become scheduled carriers and the CAB constantly rejected them. There were also tight restrictions on supplementals, designed to protect

6000-399: Was both companies having use of the trademark. Southwest has had eleven accidents, including three aircraft hull losses and four deaths: one accidental passenger death in flight, two non-passenger deaths on the ground, and one passenger death from injuries he sustained when subdued by other passengers while attempting to break into the cockpit of an aircraft. The airline is considered among

6080-462: Was completed in late 2013, with occupancy beginning in 2014. On June 2, 2016, Southwest broke ground on its new office and training facility known as Wings. The newest addition to the corporate campus is composed of a 420,000-square-foot, six-story office building, and a 380,000-square-foot adjoining structure called the Leadership Education and Aircrew Development (LEAD) Center that serves as

6160-562: Was formalized in Part 298 of the Board's economic regulations, which in 1952 gave a blanket authorization for any airline operating an aircraft with a maximum gross takeoff weight of 12,500 lbs or less. Such airlines were originally known as "air taxis", later as commuter airlines or Part 298 carriers . Confusingly, "air taxi" was also the term by which the CAB referred to Aspen Airways and Wright Air Lines (after they became certificated carriers) within

6240-448: Was founded in 1966 by Herbert Kelleher and Rollin King , and incorporated as Air Southwest Co. in 1967. Three other airlines (Braniff, Trans-Texas Airways , and Continental Airlines ) took legal action to try to prevent the company from its planned strategy of undercutting their prices by flying only within Texas and thus being exempt from regulation by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board . The lawsuits were resolved in 1970, and in 1971

6320-576: Was reported, but he was subsequently prosecuted for intentionally committing a lewd, indecent or obscene act in a public place, and the airline terminated his retirement benefits. Civil Aeronautics Board The Civil Aeronautics Board ( CAB ) was an agency of the federal government of the United States , formed in 1940 from a split of the Civil Aeronautics Authority and abolished in 1985, that regulated aviation services (including scheduled passenger airline service ) and, until

6400-425: Was reprimanded and temporarily suspended without pay and received diversity education before being reinstated. On September 26, 2017, a woman was removed from a Southwest flight after claiming to have a life-threatening allergy to dogs, two of which were present on the aircraft, including a service animal . Southwest employees requested that she provide documentation of her condition and staff asked her to exit

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