Southwest Airlines 1997 Annual Report Download - page 15

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15
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. ♥ FIVE SYMBOLS OF FREEDOM
OUR FLIGHTS ARE DESIGNED TO GIVE OUR
CUSTOMERS FLEXIBILITY. BEFORE WE VENTURE
INTO A NEW CITY, WE FIRST MAKE SURE THAT
THERE ARE LOTS OF DAILY FLIGHTS TO THE CITIES
WE CURRENTLY SERVE.
Southwest provides service to communities that can benefit from high-
frequency, low cost air transportation and have sufficient local traffic to
support our operations profitably. Because we focus primarily on the local
shorthaul Customer, we schedule our aircraft on a point-to-point, not hub
and spoke, basis. Consequently, 75 to 80 percent of our Customers fly
nonstop. This is in sharp contrast to the rest of the industry, where the
majority of traffic connects.
Southwest’s point-to-point route system, as compared to hub and spoke,
provides our Customers with extensive nonstop routings that minimize
connections, delays, and travel time. Because of our high frequencies and
quick turnarounds (approximately 20 minutes), ground time is also
minimal for the 20 to 25 percent of our passengers who have connecting
flights. The combination of our extensive route system and high frequency
approach provides both our business and leisure travelers maximum
flexibility and convenience.
Since we fully understand the value of our Customers’ time and money,
we also serve many conveniently located satellite or downtown airports,
such as Dallas Love Field, Houston Hobby, Chicago Midway, Oakland,
Burbank, Ft. Lauderdale, Providence, and Baltimore to name a few, which
further reduces total trip time and transportation expenses to and from the
airport. By avoiding congested hub airports, we also enhance our ability
to sustain high ontime performance.