The Southwest Secret

Southwest?s flights are generally point-to-point. The plane lands, goes through turnaround, and often heads right back where it came from. With less interdependence, the network can survive a problem at a single airport. The system is designed to facilitate short-haul flights, not international travel?Southwest targets the domestic business commuter, not the globetrotting jetsetter. But the airline has limited itself intentionally, to keep its operations running smoothly. ?We can turn around planes in about 25 minutes,? says Wahlenmeier, ?which last I checked is industry leading.? A simpler network also means less luggage getting lost in the shuffle. Wahlenmeier says Southwest has a 99.6 percent completion rate on bags, meaning they ?show up on the other side.?

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