Speeches and Presentations from Southwest Leaders
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Gary Kelly |
As Temple University¹s School of Hospitality and Management (STHM) continues to grow in stature, so do its relationships with key players in the tourism industry, such as Gary C. Kelly, CEO and vice chairman of Southwest Airlines.
Kelly, the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management’s 2007 executive in residence, spoke to a packed room of several hundred people, composed of area business leaders and STHM staff and students on May 9th at the Pyramid Club. The event was sponsored by Temple¹s School of Tourism and Hospitality Management and the Center City Proprietors Association.
In his keynote address, “Setting New Trends in Philadelphia: Growth and Productivity,” Kelly outlined the secrets to Southwest¹s success in the Philadelphia market.
Marking the third anniversary of serving The City of Brotherly Love, Kelly recalled how Southwest Airlines doubled its flights just six months after opening its gates in Philadelphia. Starting out with only 14 daily departures, today Southwest has expanded to an impressive 66 daily departures, and according to Kelly, soon intends to open more gates to meet Philadelphia¹s high demand.
“The fact that Gary, at a time when Southwest is thriving, agreed to be our keynote speaker says a lot about what our school has accomplished and that we are being recognized by the tourism and hospitality industry,” said Associate STHM Dean Elizabeth Barber.
Sharing Barber¹s enthusiasm for the Southwest/STHM relationship, Joe Goldblatt, STHM executive director of Professional Development and Strategic Partnerships, and senior lecturer, added, “Mr. Kelly is not only one of the most successful executives in modern aviation history, but he also leads one of the most profitable airlines with the highest customer ratings currently operating in the United States.”
Shedding light on Southwest’s overwhelming success, Kelly called attention to the fact that while the airline is well known for its affordable flights, Southwest¹s true secret to success is customer service. “We specialize in high quality customer service,” Kelly said, “with an emphasis on reliability and personal attention.”
STHM and Fox School Dean M. Moshe Porat recognized the common vision shared by Southwest and STHM. “We are pleased to host Gary Kelly as STHM Executive in Residence. Southwest and Temple University¹s School of Tourism and Hospitality Management are both committed to customer service and satisfaction, and to a thriving Philadelphia economy.”
Kelly went on to further explain the ultimate goals that Southwest aims to fulfill in Philadelphia everyday. “We want to be the best place to work. We want to be the safest, most efficient, and reliable airline operation in the world. We want to offer our customers a very convenient flight schedule with a lot of flights to places that they want to go, and we also want to offer our customers the best overall travel experience.”
Southwest’s striving to be the best has not gone overlooked. In the past year, Business Week named Southwest Airlines one of the 25 most innovative companies in the world, as well as one of the 25 best companies in customer service, and for the eleventh year in a row, Southwest was recognized by FORTUNE magazine as one of America¹s most admired companies. Also, since 1987, the airline has maintained the lowest customer complaint ratio to customers boarded as published in the Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report.
Today, Southwest Airlines is the largest airline in terms of domestic passengers boarded, proving Southwest not only to be as successful as Kelly aspires, but also an indispensable connection for STHM.
Summing up the benefits of Kelly¹s visit, STHM Senior Mary Magana said, “I feel that having Gary Kelly as an executive in residence presents more insight and opportunity into the airline industry for Temple students.”
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