Herb Kelleher was born on March 12, 1931, in Haddon Heights,
New Jersey. He obtained his BA with honors from Wesleyan
University in Connecticut, and his LLB (Bachelor of Law)
from New York University.
Kelleher co-founded Dallas-based Southwest Airlines,
beginning with a route diagram scribbled on a cocktail
napkin, in June 1971. Southwest took to the Texas skies
with three airplanes and quickly became the unconventional
low-fare airline that would reinvent air travel and
successfully complete with ground transportation. In
1973, Southwest made its first profit, and went on to
become the only American air carrier to be profitable on
an annual basis.
As Chairman of Southwest Airlines (1978) and as President
and CEO (1982), Kelleher transformed the air carrier with
only 27 aircraft and 2,100 employees that flew to 14 cities
and generated $270 million in revenues into a $5.7 billion
airline with more than 300 aircraft and 30,000 employees
flying to 57 cities. Kelleher has received more than one
hundred business awards and honors recognizing his
unorthodox vision to achieving the airline's stunning
success.
Kelleher revolutionized the air carrier industry through
innovative management and empowered employees with a strong
dedication to customer satisfaction.
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