DALLAS, May 9, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- With deep sadness, Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:
LUV) shares that President Emeritus Colleen
Barrett, 79, has passed away, surrounded by loved
ones.
Colleen passionately guided generations to do the right thing,
and often cited The Golden Rule—insisting that everyone treat each
other in a way they would hope to be treated. She widely is
credited with giving Southwest Airlines its Heart because of her
strong belief in Employees showing love for each other, as well as
to our Customers. That foundational tenet defines the Southwest
Culture more than half-a-century since the founding of the airline.
She lived her life as an example for all to follow.
The entire Southwest Airlines Family extends deepest sympathies
to her son and daughter-in-law, Patrick and
Melodie Barrett; her beloved grandson, Evan Daniel Barrett; and her brother,
Pat Crotty and his family.
Colleen dedicated herself to putting Employees first and
encouraging them to deliver Positively Outrageous Customer Service,
which became the very signature of Southwest Airlines. She was
responsible for instilling The Golden Rule among the Employees of
Southwest, and she was the architect of the company's famous
corporate Culture. Colleen's fervent mantra was to treat people the
way they want to be treated—with kindness and respect—and the rest
will follow, including profitability and shareholder satisfaction.
To share this leadership philosophy, Colleen co-authored with
Ken Blanchard the book Lead with
LUV: A Different Way to Create Success. She believed that Southwest
was truly "a customer service organization, which just happened to
fly airplanes." In 2021, Southwest Airlines honored her legacy by
establishing the Colleen C. Barrett Institute of Cultural
Excellence & Customer Service.
As time went on, Colleen became an integral part in forming the
dynamic Employee Culture of Southwest and its relentless focus on
Customer Service. She was honored to serve in several positions of
Leadership, including Vice President Administration; Executive Vice
President Customers; President and Chief Operating Officer, and
finally President of the airline from 2001 to July 2008, making her the highest-ranking woman
in the commercial airline industry at that time. She also served on
the Southwest Airlines Company Board of Directors from 2001 to 2008
as Corporate Secretary.
"Colleen's legacy is the Heart of Southwest Airlines and
everything that it stands for—the Golden Rule; Hospitality; Serving
others; and most of all, LUV!" said President & CEO
Bob Jordan. "Colleen's fingerprints
are all over Southwest Airlines, and she cherished her Southwest
Family. She taught us how to lead with our Hearts, but she was also
one of the toughest people I've ever known, leading the charge on
many battles and coming out victorious through them all. We will
honor her unending contributions to Southwest Airlines by living
out our Southwest Way Values in everything we do. She taught us
that, and we owe it to her."
"Colleen has been the heart and soul of Southwest Airlines from
our earliest days. She is largely responsible for creating and
nurturing the unique and special Culture that has defined Southwest
Airlines and been the envy of corporate America for more than 50
years," said Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at
Southwest Airlines, Gary
Kelly. "Her passion and commitment to ensuring that our
Employees provided Legendary Customer Service has made Southwest
Airlines famous for our Hospitality. As Colleen is famous for
saying, 'We are in the Customer Service business, we just happen to
fly airplanes.' Her love for our Employees was undying and
unending, and we loved her right back. Simply put, she is and
always will be our Heroine."
Colleen loved People but was allergic to flowers, so instead of
flowers, donations and other expressions of remembrance to honor
her life and legacy should be directed to the Southwest Airlines
Employees Catastrophic Assistance Charity, Ronald McDonald House
Charities, the Visiting Nurse Association (Meals on Wheels), or the
Dallas Hearing Foundation.
A special site, honoringcolleen.com, honors the woman who gave
Southwest its Heart. Details regarding funeral services,
visitation, and obituary will be released soon. Additional
information about her impact on the world can be found through the
Colleen C. Barrett Institute for Cultural Excellence & Customer
Service.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
Southwest Airlines Co. operates one of the
world's most admired and awarded airlines, offering its
one-of-a-kind value and Hospitality at 121 airports across 11
countries. Southwest took flight in 1971 to democratize the sky
through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel and now carries
more air travelers flying nonstop within the United States than any other
airline1. Based in Dallas and famous for an Employee-first
corporate Culture, Southwest maintains an unprecedented record of
no involuntary furloughs or layoffs in its history. By empowering
its more than 74,0002 People to
deliver unparalleled Hospitality, the maverick airline cherishes a
passionate loyalty among more than 137 million Customers carried in
2023. That formula for success brought industry-leading prosperity
and 47 consecutive years3 of
profitability for Southwest Shareholders (NYSE: LUV).
Southwest leverages a unique legacy and mission to serve
communities around the world including harnessing the power of its
People and Purpose to put communities at the Heart of its success.
Learn more by visiting
Southwest.com/citizenship. As the airline with Heart,
Southwest has set a goal to work toward achieving net zero carbon
emissions by 20504. Southwest has also set
near-term targets and a three-pillar strategy to achieve its
environmental goals. Learn more by visiting
Southwest.com/planet.
1Based on U.S. Dept. of Transportation
quarterly Airline Origin & Destination Survey since Q1
2021
2Fulltime-equivalent active
Employees
31973-2019 annual
profitability
4 Our net zero by 2050 goal
includes Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 Category 3 emissions only
and excludes any emissions associated with non-fuel products and
services, such as inflight service
items.
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SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.