GREAT 193 IDEA: Herb Kelleher—Be a Maverick
Herb Kelleher, his friend Rollin King, and banker John Parker, sketched out the concept for Southwest Airlines on a cocktail napkin while sitting in a bar.
The notion was simple: transport passengers to destinations on time, charge the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time. If you've ever flown Southwest, you know that's what it's all about.
When I met Kelleher, he told me he always admired the way the now-defunct Pacific Southwest Airlines pioneered cheap, short-haul service throughout California. But trying to start a similar airline in Texas generated a firestorm of industry opposition and a tangle of red tape.
Undeterred, they kept pushing. Finally, after much wrangling, ...
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