Herb Kelleher, who changed the airline industry by helping create and lead Southwest Airlines, a low-fare carrier that made air travel more accessible to the masses, has died. ''Parker said the other thing that struck him about Kelleher was that he eschewed typical CEO speak when discussing Southwest's success. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices Copyright S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. The Texas lawyer known for his maverick persona started the airline with businessman Rollin King by sketching their business plan on a cocktail napkin. Federal officials dubbed this “the Southwest Effect.”Today, Southwest carries more passengers within the United States than any other airline. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Boone Pickens, the oilman and fellow legendary Texas business figure, tweeted: “Herb Kelleher is arguably the most transformative figure and character in the history of modern aviation. We already miss you, Herbie. He was born on March 12, 1931 Camden, New Jersey, United States. ©2020 FOX News Network, LLC. Herb Kelleher, the eccentric founder of Southwest Airlines who helped revolutionize low-cost air travel, died Thursday. "You tell people that and they're kind of surprised (because) he always talks so much. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/195774643/herbert-david-kelleher Kelleher died on Thursday. ""For a couple of months, we became the largest liquor distributor in the state of Texas," he said. All market data delayed 20 minutes. He graduated from Wesleyan University and earned a law degree from New York University in 1956.Mr. It flew just one kind of plane, the Boeing 737, to make maintenance simpler and cheaper. ©2020 FOX News Network, LLC. He said, 'You wouldn't do that.' The countless … This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, They call them Herb stories, wacky encounters with zany Herb Kelleher, the co-founder of Southwest Airlines, who died Thursday at age 87.The countless times he lit up a cigarette in public places, "no smoking" signs be damned, including a packed Phoenix resort ballroom where he was receiving a leader of the year award in 2005.The times he had to be tracked down by other Southwest executives after too many shots of Wild Turkey, his well-documented drink of choice.The time he joked to a reporter that he loved the tufted buttons on his attorney's leather couch because "it gives me a big thrill.''
It gave out peanuts instead of meals. "Kelleher left his last formal role with Southwest a decade ago, but the airline remains a major force in low-cost air travel. Start with employees and the rest follows from that.The Economist Magazine, Obituary, Page 82 of Print Edition, 12th January 2019. Herb’s passion, zest for life, and insatiable investment in relationships made lasting and immeasurable impressions on all who knew him and will forever be the bedrock and esprit de corps of Southwest Airlines," the airline said in a statement. He said that business travelers with expense accounts and a thirst for booze made Southwest the biggest liquor distributor in Texas for a time.When Southwest and a smaller aviation company both claimed the same advertising slogan, Mr. Kelleher proposed to settle the dispute by holding an arm-wrestling contest with the other CEO. They were the unlikeliest of roommates, Mutt and Jeff as they came to call themselves.Franke was the all-business CEO of America West Airlines, a longtime Southwest competitor. "At these dinners where he’d sit and talk about business, he would never talk about his business in those terms; it was always about his people. All rights reserved. Herb Kelleher was the colorful co-founder of discount carrier Southwest Airlines. ""His style presents the ultimate case study for airlines or any service company whereby if you take care of your people, they will take care of your customers, which will take care of your shareholders," Parker said. (Photo by Pam Francis/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images)Kelleher served as Southwest's executive chairman from March 1978 until May 2008 and as president and CEO from September 1981 through June 2001, according to the "His vision for making air travel affordable for all revolutionized the industry," Southwest chairman and CEO Gary Kelly said in a statement. ''Along with co-founder Rollin King, Kelleher launched Southwest in 1971 with service from Dallas Love Field to Houston and San Antonio. Southwest currently serves 99 cities in the USA and abroad with 742 aircraft. For full obituary and coverage from Legacy.com, click here. And he really cared about what people had to say and their thoughts and where they came from. It operated from less-congested secondary airports to avoid money-burning delays.Southwest turned a profit in 1973 and hasn’t suffered a money-losing year since — a streak unmatched in the U.S. airline business.Mr. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. And if you treat your employees right, guess what? That's how he got to know what was going on at his airline. Not many CEOs dress up as Elvis Presley, settle a business dispute with an arm-wrestling contest, or go on TV wearing a paper bag over their head.Herb Kelleher did all those things.
"American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said Kelleher's vision "brought the freedom of travel to hundreds of millions of people, and his appetite for taking on any real or perceived battle was unmatched. ... “Herb Kelleher is arguably the most transformative figure and character in the history of … He was 87. He was 87. Unlike many rivals, it doesn't charge fees for things like baggage or changing tickets.He is survived by his wife and three of their four children, according to a Kelleher was a young lawyer living in Texas before leaving his firm to start Southwest in the 1960s with the goal of providing low-cost transportation among Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. He was 87. He led the company through its period of greatest growth. What I realized is that's how he learned so much.