Southwest Airlines’ Chairman Emeritus, Herb Kelleher, was inducted today into the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine in the Wright Brothers National Memorial by the First Flight Society of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. With the unveiling of Kelleher’s portrait in the event, the First Flight society honored the founder of the nation’s most successful commercial airline.
The Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine event was held on the original site where the first powered, controllable flight was flown in 1903 by the Wright Brothers. The First Flight Society was formed in 1927 and over the years has celebrated the men and women whose accomplishments have advanced aviation.
“Just like the Wright Brothers, Southwest Airlines and its People defied all doubters and pessimists to create a great success story,” Kelleher said. “We are an airline that broke the mold in the aviation industry, and we intend to keep on break it.”
Celebrating 82 years, the First Flight Society commemorates the conquest of the air by brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright, and commemorates the great achievements in the airline industry with this event. “The First Flight Society is proud today to honor Herb Kelleher, a pioneer in the commercial airline industry,” said Bill Harris, President of the First Flight Society. “To honor him is to honor those who have a vision and make it real. Southwest Airlines would not be what it is today without Herb.”
Southwest is the only U.S. airline to remain consistently profitable this decade and enjoys an unprecedented string of 35 consecutive years of profitability. Southwest has among the lowest cost structures, a strong balance sheet, and the most comprehensive fuel hedging program of any major U.S. airline. At Southwest Airlines, fees don’t fly with us. You can check your first two bags for free, there are no change fees, no fees for a window or aisle seat, and, as always, snacks, sodas, and smiles are all complimentary!
After 37 years of service, Southwest Airlines, the nation’s leading low-fare carrier, continues to differentiate itself from other airlines—offering a reliable product with exemplary Customer Service. Southwest Airlines is the most productive airline in the sky and offers Customers a comfortable traveling experience. Southwest offers a very comfortable ride with all premium leather seats and plenty of legroom with a young all Boeing 737 fleet. Southwest recently updated its gate areas and improved its boarding procedure to make flying Southwest even more convenient and simple. Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), the nation's largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers enplaned, currently serves 64 cities (will begin service to Minneapolis-St. Paul in March 2009) in 32 states. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,300 flights a day and has more than 35,000 Employees systemwide.
