Southwest Airlines One Report: Our People

[ebryant1]

This is the third of a series of future posts about our new Southwest One Report ™—a single report on our triple bottomline of Performance, People, and Planet adhering to Global Reporting Initiative standards.

I’ve been at Southwest Airlines to celebrate many “firsts” such as when we introduced DING! and when the Wright Amendment was finally reformed after 27 years.  I can now add the first Southwest One Report to the list.  It offers our Stakeholders a snapshot of our financial and nonfinancial performance and gives them an opportunity to learn more about three of the most important P’s at Southwest Airlines: Performance, People, and Planet.  My favorite P is the People and all the opportunities for growth and development the University for People offers.

Our People Department works hard to ensure we hire Employees who embody our core values, and we get the privilege of focusing on their personal and professional growth.  Our goal is simple:  we want all Employees to reach their fullest potential.   At Southwest, we don’t have a career ladder; we have a career lattice.  Each of us has the opportunity to move, grow, and stretch, and the University can help support Employees as they navigate their own career path.

If you could take a stroll through the hallways of the University for People, you probably would find a group of new Employees huddled together hearing a story about SWA’s history from a LUV Guide, or you may see a Leadership roundtable session where Senior Leaders spend a full day talking about the state of the Company, current challenges, and future opportunities with Leaders in our Managers In Training program.  You also may hear clapping from a training room after a round of speeches during a PowerSpeak workshop.  The University for People is buzzing with excitement because we don’t just say we develop People, we do it.  You never know who you will see roaming the halls of the University because all Employees are invited to take advantage of the unique learning opportunities our Company offers.

I have the honor each day to work with an incredibly talented Team who makes Developing People their priority.  We have a fantastic Team of Facilitators, Coordinators, and Class Designers, who promise to make it a memorable "flight" for our Employees!

To learn more about the One Report and Southwest Airlines, click here.

[Pat_Foley]

I have been flying SWA since you began non-stop service from SDF to PHX. At first the flights were just for pleasure to visit my parents in AZ and so my children could get to know their grandparents. Then, as my parents aged, my flight were more frequent to check up on them. After my mom became a widow and then was struck with cancer herself, I moved in with her for a year to take care of her. Then SWA became a lifeline for me so I could go back and visit my own family in KY or they could come here to help. I will always appreciate that you are the only airline with a non-stop flight to Louisville and we could get back and forth as quickly as possible. Of course, being served by SWA people who love their job and occasionally even entertained by them is a BIG PLUS.. I have heard original songs and raps from flight attendants and my favorite as the plane lands, "Whoa Nelly!". The other comment I have is that I like how you handle your business. If a problem arises, you actively seek solutions and creative ideas to solve it. If more companies did that, our economy would be in better shape today. My best to you in the future. I am looking forward to my next SWA flight to Philadelphia in October. Thanks for being there for my family and for putting your people first. I have said it many times and to many people, I LOVE SOUTHWEST!, Most sincerely, Pat Foley

[Valerie_J]

I endeavor to always fly Southwest. Most of the trips have been uneventful, the staff wonderful. This past week we flew SW on 6 flights. 4 were late or continuely delayed without any explanation. One delay would have caused us to miss our connecting flight. Because there were 10 of us on the plane needing that connection they held the plane for us. No explanation for the delay. These delays were well over an hour and in Seattle the delay was 3 1/2 hours. Only the last flight Seattle to Spokane did anyone give an explaination for a delay, it was the captain. He came on and apologized for the delay and that our original plane had a mechanical issue. Had the staff at the airport made any effort to explain what the delay was about it would have helped alleve the irritation caused by the continual delays. I, for one, prefer not to get on a broken plane. Information shared is better than leaving people guessing about why they are waiting. Some compensation, coupons or gift certificates for future use on SW would have been a welcomed offer.

[Renee11]

WHY does Southwest feel the need to serve nuts when SO many people are allergic?? Wouldn't it just be easier to eliminate them altogether and serve a different snack? It seems that it might save $ since the printing of peanut allergy passes, changes of snacks onboard, etc would also be eliminated. I like Southwest but get tired of the hassle of all that must be done simply to avoid a peanut, then after all is done, I sit down next to someone who decides to pull their OWN peanuts out and have a nice little toxic snack beside me. It has gotten so that I feel it does me no good to bother and I just take a shot and have some meds and sit through the flight like a zombie hoping there will be no reaction. I am thinking MAYBE Southwest is not the flight service I need anymore...

[I_Perez]

My family and I just flew SWA for the first time, round trip Kansas City to Las Vegas. I was originally concerned when I found out there was no assigned seating, so I purchased the Early Bird Check-In. It worked perfect. My family was able to sit together even though I did not have the Internet available to me 24 hours in advance prior to our departure, in order to secure our boarding passes. Also, hats off to the attendant that check us in for our return flight. She let us move a few clothing items in-between suitcases in order to keep us within the 50 pound limit. Thanks SWA. We had a great time flying non-stop from Kansas City International to McCarran International.

[Joanj_M__Dupre_]

I ;LOVE S.W.AIRLINES & the folks that work for them they are fantastic, personalbe, friendly, helpful,kind, considerate I TRULY would NOT like to fly with another airline UNLESS IT WAS AN EMERGENCY (i WISH they would FLY INTO BURLINGTON VT. tho) thanks for all of the wonderful flying times Godspeed to you all. & THANK YOU!!