It Assesment for Southwest Airlines
Industry IT Survey Project
For Southwest Airlines
Prepared for Rick, Turley
CIS600: Information Technology and Project Management
Prepared by
Amr, Mutlaq
Colorado State University
April, 17th, 2013
Overview
Southwest Airlines Co is a major U.S airline and the world's largest low-cost carrier, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It was established in 1967 and adopted its current name in 1971. The airline has more than 46,000 employees as of August 2012 and operates more than 3,400 flights per day. As of June 5, 2011, it carries the most domestic passengers of any U.S. airline. As of January 2013, Southwest Airlines has scheduled service to 79 destinations in 39 states. Southwest offers low-fare, short-haul, and high-frequency, on time and point-to-point flights.
Southwest has a very broad target demographic. They appeal to customers that are price-conscious and don’t mind the “no-frills” philosophy. This translates to a lot of small business owners, middle-class families, young adults and travelers traveling short-distances. Moreover the target market for Southwest Airlines is medium to high frequency business travelers who take one to three roundtrips per month, male/female professionals ages 24 - 55, travelers who are price conscious, dissatisfied customers from full-service airlines, travelers looking to commute distances between 750 and 1,700 miles, leisure family travelers, internet/technology savvy travelers, and 30 - 60 day trip planners. The main idea of the company was to target customers ready to trade driving for flying. For example a business traveler is going from San Antonio to Dallas the best choice for him/her to fly with is Southwest since he/she doesn’t need to stop by any other point (point-to-point flights), most of the other airlines rely on hub and spoke systems which is not the best choice for business travelers.
Discount airlines (Southwest, JetBlue Airways, AirTran Airways, and Frontier Airlines) also known as low-cost
For Southwest Airlines
Prepared for Rick, Turley
CIS600: Information Technology and Project Management
Prepared by
Amr, Mutlaq
Colorado State University
April, 17th, 2013
Overview
Southwest Airlines Co is a major U.S airline and the world's largest low-cost carrier, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It was established in 1967 and adopted its current name in 1971. The airline has more than 46,000 employees as of August 2012 and operates more than 3,400 flights per day. As of June 5, 2011, it carries the most domestic passengers of any U.S. airline. As of January 2013, Southwest Airlines has scheduled service to 79 destinations in 39 states. Southwest offers low-fare, short-haul, and high-frequency, on time and point-to-point flights.
Southwest has a very broad target demographic. They appeal to customers that are price-conscious and don’t mind the “no-frills” philosophy. This translates to a lot of small business owners, middle-class families, young adults and travelers traveling short-distances. Moreover the target market for Southwest Airlines is medium to high frequency business travelers who take one to three roundtrips per month, male/female professionals ages 24 - 55, travelers who are price conscious, dissatisfied customers from full-service airlines, travelers looking to commute distances between 750 and 1,700 miles, leisure family travelers, internet/technology savvy travelers, and 30 - 60 day trip planners. The main idea of the company was to target customers ready to trade driving for flying. For example a business traveler is going from San Antonio to Dallas the best choice for him/her to fly with is Southwest since he/she doesn’t need to stop by any other point (point-to-point flights), most of the other airlines rely on hub and spoke systems which is not the best choice for business travelers.
Discount airlines (Southwest, JetBlue Airways, AirTran Airways, and Frontier Airlines) also known as low-cost