When all other airlines were laying off employees and raising fees, Southwest did the the exact opposite. They had come across a formula that went against the grain in the airline world. The result was success.

In the  2011 North America Airline Satisfaction Study J.D. Power rated them “among the best” (highest rating) in 5 different categories.

In the Glassdoor.com 2011 Best Places To Work – Employees’ Choice award Southwest ranked #2.

According to their website, Southwest Airlines has consistently received the lowest ratio of complaints per passengers boarded of all Major U.S. carriers that have been reporting statistics to the Department of Transportation (DOT).

Their unique but seemingly obvious tactics are more than enough to spotlight them. They don’t follow the trend but rather set it.

So what makes up the Southwest brand?

The Logo

Just like Southwest themselves, the logo is simple. It features a small, multicolored rendition of their easily recognizable plane flying upward. Underneath that are the words Southwest Airlines in all caps.

The Website & Booking

One of the elements that makes Southwest unique is that the only way to book a flight with them is to navigate to southwest.com. The reason this is unique is that most major airlines also allow you to go to a booking site such as Expedia.com or Travelocity.com as an alternative. At first glance it may seem restrictive to only handle booking through its website. In actuality, this is one of the ways Southwest manages to keep their fares so low.

By circumventing the online travel agencies and solely using their own branded website, Southwest is able to reduce its own costs and pass those savings on to the consumer.

which brings us to…

The Low Fares and High Service

It’s not a new concept to offer a good or service at a lower price to draw in consumers. What is a bit different is offering  a lower price and still provide equal or better service than your competitors. When other airlines where starting to charge more for baggage, Southwest said “Bags Fly Free“. This was instantly attractive to travelers who had seen increased fares and less amenities.

Even with low fares Southwest still ranks high on many lists (#12 on the Bloom burg Business Week Customer Service Elite List). The staff bends over backwards to make the atmosphere light and lively. Unlike coined phrases and forced smiles at departure, Southwest does customer service outside of the box.

The Ads

Southwest marketing team knows how to focus on the things that will grab a consumers attention in their television ads. The focus is on things that most airlines have stopped offering such as no-hassle reward point redemption.

Southwest Airlines has proven that businesses can survive providing high customer service at a low cost. Their brand has succeeded over all others by becoming the current most profitable airline around. A company in any industry can learn something from the Southwest brand.