Well said.

I have been jump seating weekly on SW for decades and also have friends over there. Very friendly people and I owe their crews and gate agents a HUGE debt of gratitude. Still a great group of people.

BUT...it's far from the company Herb created. Very Far. EVERYTHING changed with Gary. Long gone are the days of pretty, fun loving girls in the back. As one famous SWA pilot accidentally transmitted over hot mike, the pretty girls were replaced by "gays, grays, and grandes". SWA took on the legally-defensable approach of ensuring their FAs mirrored the population (EEOC). Age, gender, ethnicity, etc. What resulted is as far from the old days as one could possibly get. Throw in the horrific hours that AM trips start and PM trips end with and you increasingly get tired, frustrated slam-clickers. In short, same as other airlines, but a more hurried pace and more legs. Pilots claim it's not the fun airline anymore, just a job (that pays fairly well).

As an out of touch 'manager' Gary may not care, but he probably should. Bringing back the mojo, while not visible on a spreadsheet, might net him gains the accountant in him doesn't see. The slogan that 'SW pilots left their loved ones to go home' ensured morale was high and costly sick calls were minimized. Unhappy employees are far more likely to abuse sick calls. Another problem GK faces is competing with other Legacy and Major airlines whose upgrade time isn't 10-12 years. Pilots have choices: better equipment (737 sucks), better training (SW training sucks), better schedules (6 legs to midland?), WB international, better reserve policies, disability, etc. Finding the quality pilots needed to fly the challenging conditions SW demands will become more difficult. Industry wide, wages are rapidly coming up; even ULCC's like G4 are paying comparable wages, home every night with relatively quick upgrades, awesome domiciles, Airbus equipment, etc. Like his predecessor believed, a cheaper approach might be to bring back the fun culture that caused pilots to come to the different, fun 'nuts' airline in the first place (hint: pilots like girls). As for EEOC concerns, I'd point to many of those majors (AK, Virgin, etc.), ULCCs (G4, Spirit) and regionals, like Skywest, that recognize the business-savvy approach to hiring attractive FAs and are able to legally achieve a better balance. Even Delta has woke up to that reality and changed their hiring demographics.

Also on the minds of SW guys is the possibility of another upgrade-killing merger like the last one. Whether or not SWA benefitted as a whole, the AirTran merger was a disaster for WN pilots. From what I recall, GK even went back on his word that he would retain the 717s and handed them over to DAL for pennies on the dollar along with a lot of the footprint in ATL.

It's a much bigger airline so a lot of the issues causing lower morale are a byproduct of growth. However that's no excuse for the years of foot-dragging and disinformation campaigns associated with contract negotiations of ALL labor groups. Prior to this last year, there had never been a picket line or such public airing of laundry at SW. Even the most ardent fans turned against the isolated residents of the 'Dallas Palace'.

Sadly, GK and his senior 'managers' have cashed in and monetized the trust, good will, team spirit and morale of some of the best employees in the industry. He and his shareholders have been rewarded handsomely as a result.

By most accounts, still a great airline, but headwinds are expected and change is needed. That will take new 'leadership'. Last year, the 4 unions, representing 80% of labor, issued a "vote of no confidence" in GK and his team. The saying at SW was 'GGG' or Gary's Gotta Go". In contrast, Herb built a great company, with a great culture by riding on the jump seat, TALKING to pilots (not AT them), FAs, throwing bags with rampers and joking with gate agents. He was in touch with his rank and file and knew what motivated them.

Herb was a leader.