Second, SWA employees feel they are part of a cause. SWA seeks to offer the
lowest airfares, frequent flights, and a personable service characterized by fun
and humor. When demand increases, SWA seeks to expand flights rather than
increase prices. With this philosophy, SWA has frequently driven down the
prices of other airlines and significantly increased the number of people who
fly. To some degree SWA seeks to give an opportunity to fly to people who
ordinarily could not afford it. It is important to realize that this cause of cheap
and fun air travel originated from the intense struggle SWA endured in setting
up operations, and later in surviving an industry that was then dominated by
restrictive regulations and large, established airlines. SWA had to struggle for
years to even earn approval to start operations. Later it had to work very hard
to make its concept of low-cost, no frills air travel succeed in the face of
continued opposition from regulators as well as the large, established airlines.
For these reasons a sense of being a ``rebel,'' independence, and liberty are
associated with SWA's cause or mission of offering low-cost, fun air travel
(Freiberg and Freiberg, 1996).