Southwest Airlines Co. relies on a single brand which is Southwest. It has been achieving records for the highest customer satisfaction and the best on-time performance in the very competitor market in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. Its branding strategy focuses on the stock market ticker acronym “LUV”, which stands for the name of the company’s hometown airport, Dallas Love Field, to associate itself as warm and friendly compared to other competitors.
Southwest has been pursuing its expansion through many strategic acquisitions with its financial support from the substantial savings thanks to the plunging fuel prices in 2014. With the latest acquisition of AirTran, the company‘s fleet increased and reached at a total of 665 aircraft. Southwest’s operated flights are currently over 90% full, pushing its ambition to expand internationally.
Southwest Airlines Co. holds 2.4% of the world airlines industry with a value growth of 5.6% (2013-2014) and net income increased by more than 70% from 2014 to the third quarter of 2015. With the tendency of decreasing fuel costs, the company’s business is expected to flourish in the next few years.
(Euromornitor, 2015)