In his keynote address, “Setting New Trends in Philadelphia: Growth and Productivity,” Kelly outlined the secrets to Southwest’s success in the Philadelphia market.
Marking Southwest’s third anniversary of serving the City of Brotherly Love, Kelly recalled how the airline doubled its flights just six months after opening its gates in Philadelphia. After starting with only 14 daily departures, Southwest has expanded to 66 daily departures, and according to Kelly, soon intends to open more gates to meet the high demand in Philadelphia.
“The fact that Gary, at a time when Southwest is thriving, agreed to be our keynote speaker says a lot about what our school has accomplished and that we are being recognized by the tourism and hospitality industry,” said STHM Associate Dean Elizabeth Barber.
Sharing Barber’s enthusiasm for the Southwest/STHM relationship, Joe Goldblatt, STHM executive director of professional development and strategic partnerships, and senior lecturer, added, “Mr. Kelly is not only one of the most successful executives in modern aviation history, but he also leads one of the most profitable airlines with the highest customer ratings currently operating in the United States.”
Shedding light on Southwest’s overwhelming success, Kelly called attention to the fact that while the airline is well-known for its affordable flights, Southwest’s true secret to success is customer service. “We specialize in high quality customer service,” Kelly said, “with an emphasis on reliability and personal attention.”
STHM and Fox School of Business Dean M. Moshe Porat recognized the common vision shared by Southwest and STHM. “We are pleased to host Gary Kelly as STHM executive in residence. Southwest and Temple University’s School of Tourism and Hospitality Management are both committed to customer service and satisfaction, and to a thriving Philadelphia economy.”
Kelly went on to further explain the ultimate goals that Southwest aims to fulfill in Philadelphia every day. “We want to be the best place to work. We want to be the safest, most efficient, and reliable airline operation in the world. We want to offer our customers a very convenient flight schedule with a lot of flights to places that they want to go, and we also want to offer our customers the best overall travel experience.”
Southwest’s striving to be the best has not gone overlooked. In the past year, Business Week named Southwest Airlines one of the 25 most innovative companies in the world, as well as one of the 25 best companies in customer service, and for the 11th year in a row, Southwest was recognized by FORTUNE magazine as one of America’s most admired companies. Also, since 1987, the airline has maintained the lowest customer complaint ratio to customers boarded as published in the Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report.
Today, Southwest Airlines is the largest airline in terms of domestic passengers boarded, proving Southwest not only to be as successful as Kelly aspires, but also an indispensable connection for STHM.
Summing up the benefits of Kelly’s visit, STHM senior Mary Magana said, “I feel that having Gary Kelly as an executive in residence presents more insight and opportunity into the airline industry for Temple students.”
— By Margaret Mastrogiacomo |
