Customer Reviews

Southwest Passage: The Inside Story of Southwest Airlines' Formative Years

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book was very interesting in relation to the history of several airlines. It covers Lamar and his stints at Trans-Texas, American, Southern, Central, Universal, Southwest, and even covers some of Muse Air. Too bad no pictures were included.

There's been a lot of blather written about Southwest, including _Nuts_ and _The Southwest Way_. My opinion is that most of these books are written by people who don't know much about the airline business and who are trying to push their pet management theory. I'm a professional airline analyst, for what that's worth.

Muse was actually there and made it happen as the first CEO of Southwest.

Is it a perfect book? No. Muse is opinionated, and you're definitely getting his side of the story. But he's up front about that and doesn't pretend otherwise. It's also as much about him as it is about Southwest, but that's interesting too. He's had quite an eventful life, and his prior experience is totally relevant to what happened at Southwest and why. I think he'd be the last to claim that he's lead a perfect existence.

He also quotes liberally from the letters to the board of directors that he wrote every month. These are valuable historical documents, and one hopes that Muse preserves them by donating them to a transportation library somewhere.

Muse isn't a professional writer, but his language is direct and to the point. The book is informative, easy to read and entertaining. Even if it wasn't, it would still be worth reading, given his critical role in the birth of Southwest.

One day, someone will write a serious business history of Southwest. When that happens, Muse's book (and hopefully his letters to the board) will be key source material. In the meantime, this is probably the single most interesting book on the foundation of Southwest.

In making a reservation on Southwest's website last week I noted that they are pushing two books about Southwest, one being "NUTS" and the other "THE SOUTHWEST WAY." There was no mention whatsoever about "SOUTHWEST PASSAGE", one of the best business books I have ever read. Could it be that the true story about Southwest in its early days during which the course was set for its 32 years of profitable operations, as told in SOUTHWEST PASSAGE, is so totally different from the tales told in the other books by the airline's current executives that SOUTHWEST PASSAGE has been blackballed? I know nothing about the authors of the three books, but I do know that Lamar Muse was there on the scene and can prove everything he says in SOUTHWEST PASSAGE while the authors of the other two books were probably still just gleams in their fathers' eyes.

Before I get to my review, can someone out there tell me why this book is out of print? I paid over $100 for it. It was published by a small press here in Austin, and I even called them about it. If you have answer, please write me at <chris(at)chrisbaker(dot)net>.

Some fans of Rand have said that if _Atlas Shrugged_ is ever made into a movie that it should be "updated"--i.e., the passenger train industry should be replaced by passenger airplanes. I think it would quite foolish to tamper with _Atlas_ in such a way. It could also be said that the story of "Atlas Shrugged with Airplanes" has already been written and actually happened.

That story is _Southwest Passage_ by Lamar Muse. Muse was the founding CEO of Southwest Airlines up till 1978. The book also includes many details about his personal life and his other adventures in the airline industry before and after Southwest. The best parts are his years with Southwest, and Muse is rightfully proud of all the things his little airline has accomplished since his departure from the company.

It all started when Herb Kelleher and Rollin King were talking in San Antonio. They decided to start an airline that would simply operate in the triangle formed by Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. In 1967, they got started and immediately found themselves challenged in court by the established carriers of the time--Texas International (based in Houston) and Braniff (based in Dallas). As a result of this "business harassment" (a term used by several judges), Southwest's first flight didn't take off until 18 June 1971.

Southwest was not the first intra-state carrier. Their inspiration had been the California-based Pacific Southwest Airlines which had started in 1949, and they took many of PSA's best ideas. But just like PSA, Southwest was free from the federal regulation of the Civil Aeronautics Board. (See www.catchoursmile.com for the story of PSA.)

In 1972, Muse made a critical decision which set the tone for much of the company's success since that time. Losing money at the time, Muse decided that the best way to raise money was to sell one of their four planes. Maintaining the same staff and scheduled with three planes, Muse then challenged his team to turn (completely unload and reload) planes in TEN MINUTES. It worked, and Southwest still turns planes faster than its competitors today. They have also never furloughed an employee.

Southwest has always viewed its greatest competitor as the automobile and still does today. The stats in this book show this story. Southwest didn't take much business away from the other airlines. Southwest got people who had never flown before to fly.

Muse also tells about their expansion into other Texas cities and more of the other dirty tricks engaged in by the entrenched competitors. Dallas and Houston also did what they could to make life difficult for them. It seems as though Houston has given up, but Dallas (their home city) still probably would rather see Southwest leave town even today.

Then there is the interesting part of federal deregulation. Muse gave a great speech on the subject before Congress. Most of the established carriers (such as American) bitterly opposed deregulation. Only United Airlines favored it.

Southwest is one of America's great business success stories. In terms of passenger numbers, Southwest is America's #1 airline for domestic flights. Their stock price has even outperformed Walmart's during its 35-year history. Southwest has turned a profit every year since 1973 and is the only airline which gets an A credit rating from Standard and Poors. Their leaders have shown that the best way to get rich is to treat employees with respect and dignity and to give customers great service. The good guys won.

Unfortunately, the book has no photographs. It seems to indicate that Muse didn't take many or that many people didn't want to give him any for the book. Maybe he just didn't ask.

I also love this cover.

Everyone who has studied the history of Southwest Airlines is aware that Lamar Muse was a colorful and distinctive part of the growth of the company. This book presents Muse's perspective on those days, along with a narrative of Muse's aviation career before and after his time with Southwest. However, if you are expecting another enjoyable look at the unique airline, this is not the book for you. Muse has written a significantly bitter and negative recollection of his involvement with Southwest Airlines. Both sides of every story deserve to be told, and Muse does not miss any opportunity to criticize his former colleagues. Be prepared.

Lamar Muse deserves mention with other giants of the airline industry yet few know who he is, much less what he accomplished over a career that started with Trans-Texas when they were flying DC-3s. I'm embarassed to admit I knew little about him, even having worked for three airlines (including Muse Air's successor, TranStar) over a nearly 20-year aviation career.

Aside from being readable, interesting, and highly informative, Mr. Muse's book should be required material for every business school curriculum in the country. Again and again, he describes business decisions based on an element conspicuously absent in many business "leaders" today: common sense. He clearly had an understanding of various markets and all the variables specific to each: what the customers really wanted, what aircraft would prove most profitable, which flight schedules made the most sense, and so on. He provides background information explaining his rationales, and it's an understatement to say that reading of his practical approach was refreshing. It seems many who are making critical decisions today are highly educated at exclusive schools yet often don't appear to have enough common sense to fill a thimble.

Mr. Muse also documented his memoir with numerous figures and documents, adding to its authenticity. He names names and pulls no punches, and the candor is also a refreshing change from the usual corporate spin and doublespeak. (Personal experience: A company I worked for declined to admit an annual loss, instead stating they had suffered a "net cash outflow" for the year. Good grief.)

A previous reviewer makes a good point about the lack of photos, which would have made this an even better book, but it's still a must-have for any aviation collection.

Bottom line: For the real Southwest Airlines story, a great primer on making prudent business decisions, and an insider's view of a critical chapter in airline history, find this book and read it.