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  • April 2010 (Revised January 2013)
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Southwest Airlines: In a Different World

By: James L. Heskett and W. Earl Sasser Jr.
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:16
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Abstract

This is the fourth in a 35-year series of HBS cases on an organization that has changed the rules of the game globally for an entire industry by offering both differentiated and low-price service. The focus of the case is on whether Southwest Airlines should buy gates and slots to initiate service to New York's LaGuardia airport, which does not fit the airline's profile for cost, ease of service, and other factors. The bigger issue is how the organization should deal with competition that has successfully emulated more and more of what it does in an operating environment that has changed significantly. Hence the subtitle, which was suggested by Herb Kelleher, Southwest's Chairman and CEO, Emeritus.

Keywords

Decision Choices and Conditions; Service Delivery; Service Operations; Organizational Culture; Competitive Strategy; Air Transportation Industry; New York (city, NY)

Citation

Heskett, James L., and W. Earl Sasser Jr. "Southwest Airlines: In a Different World." Harvard Business School Case 910-419, April 2010. (Revised January 2013.)
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About The Authors

James L. Heskett

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W. Earl Sasser

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Related Work

    • April 2010 (Revised January 2013)
    • Faculty Research

    Southwest Airlines: In a Different World

    By: James L. Heskett and W. Earl Sasser Jr.
Related Work
  • Southwest Airlines: In a Different World By: James L. Heskett and W. Earl Sasser Jr.
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