DALLAS, Sept. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest
Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) today reinforced a continued
commitment to putting People first and championing an inclusive
workplace for all Employees.
In a video message for the Company's Employees, Chairman of
the Board & Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly shared, "Our diversity &
inclusion journey began long before this summer's increased focus
on racial injustice and has always been rooted in our Southwest Way
Values: specifically, how we show up individually, how we treat
each other, how we work as a Team, and how we will succeed as a
Company." Southwest long has been committed to diversity and
inclusion, having been founded and guided across five decades by
the Golden Rule to "Treat others as you would like to be treated,"
since our founding.
Kelly continued, "While our diversity imperatives across the
years laid a good foundation, we know we must commit to closely
focusing in areas like diversity in Senior Leadership and supplier
diversity. We continue to look for opportunities to better reflect
in our organization the diverse demographics of the communities we
serve." Specifically, the Company has set the following goals:
- Evolving hiring and development practices to support diversity
goals, including posting all open Leadership positions (Supervisor
to Vice President) and requiring diverse candidate slates for each
role
- Measuring progress in increasing diversity in Senior
Leadership
- Doubling the percentage of racial diversity and increasing
gender diversity in Senior Management Committee by 2025
- Engaging breadth of community partners to ensure the Company is
leveraging those relationships as it sources diverse talent
Additionally, the Southwest Airlines Board of Directors has
committed to increasing its diverse representation by 2025.
Journalists may download Gary's video message on Southwest Airlines
commitment to increase diversity in Leadership
Pursuing Racial Equity
To continue its commitment to inclusion, the Southwest Airlines
Diversity and Inclusion Team has completed workshops with much
of the Company's workforce, thus far, including Flight Attendants,
Mechanics and Engineers, Finance Employees, and Pilots, with other
conversations planned. These workshops are part of an effort to
encourage productive conversations on racial equity. Many
workgroups from throughout the Company have initiated dialogue and
discussion about these important topics.
Employee-led Solutions
The Southwest Airlines' Diversity Council—comprised of a diverse
group of Employees with various job roles, in locations across the
country, and with varying levels of experience—was founded more
than 10 years ago. It serves as an asset, dedicated to a mission
that promotes a work environment that appreciates different
backgrounds, experiences, and traditions, while also fostering
inclusion, and leveraging diversity to enhance performance and
shape Company strategy.
Assisting Communities with Change
The Company's Community Outreach Team continues visiting with
its community partners to understand how the Company can support
workforce development through talent pipelines. The Southwest
Airlines Foundation, a corporate-advised fund within the Silicon
Valley Community Foundation, made additional monetary contributions
to organizations such as the National Urban League and 100 Black
Men in America.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 50th year of
service, Dallas-based Southwest
Airlines Co. continues to differentiate itself from other air
carriers with exemplary Customer Service to a Customer base topping
130 million passengers in 2019. Southwest became the nation's
largest domestic air carrier in 2003 and maintains that ranking
based on the U.S. Department of Transportation's most recent
reporting of domestic originating passengers boarded. In peak
travel seasons during 2019, Southwest operated more than 4,000
weekday departures among a network of 101 destinations in
the United States and 10
additional countries. In early 2020, the carrier added service to
Hilo, Hawaii, and Cozumel, Mexico. Southwest will begin service
to Steamboat Springs, Colo. on
Dec. 19, 2020, and also recently
announced its intention to serve Palm
Springs, Calif. and Miami,
Fla.
The carrier issued its Southwest® Promise in
May 2020 to highlight new and
round-the-clock efforts to support its Customers and Employees
wellbeing and comfort. Among the changes are enhanced cleaning
efforts at airports and onboard aircraft, face covering
requirements for Customers and Employees, and capping the number of
passengers on every flight to allow middle seats to remain open
through Nov. 30, 2020. Additional
details about the Southwest Promise are available at
Southwest.com/Promise.
Southwest coined Transfarency® to
describe its purposed philosophy of treating Customers honestly and
fairly, and low fares actually staying low. Southwest is the only
major U.S. airline to offer bags fly free® to
everyone (first and second checked pieces of luggage, size and
weight limits apply, some carriers offer free checked bags on
select routes or in qualified circumstances). Southwest does not
charge change fees, though fare differences might apply.
Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world,
known for a triple bottom line approach that contributes to the
carrier's performance and productivity, the importance of its
People and the communities they serve, and an overall commitment to
efficiency and the planet. Learn more about how the carrier gives
back to communities across the world by visiting
Southwest.com/citizenship.
Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online
at Southwest.com or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA.
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SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.