Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Southwest Airlines was built on three pillars: low fares, friendly service, and a quirky "sit anywhere" policy. But in a post-pandemic market, the rules are changing. On the latest episode of the Bold Names podcast, CEO Bob Jordan joins WSJ’s Tim Higgins to discuss one of the airline’s most transformational periods in its 60-year history.
Chapters:
01:35 – Why Southwest Killed Open Seating
04:10 – Addressing the "Growing Pains" of Assigned Seating
06:15 – Plastic Passes and Peanuts: What Defines an Airline’s Soul?
08:20 – Elliott Investment Management’s "Kick in the Pants": Handling Activist Pressure
11:05 – The $1 Billion Math Behind Bag Fees
13:30 – How to Preserve Culture During a Business Pivot
16:45 – Online Doomsayers vs. Real-World Booking Data
19:15 – Ending the Fuel Hedging Program
21:40 – Lounges and Long-Haul: Is Southwest Going International?
WSJ’s Bold Names brings you conversations with the leaders of the bold-named companies featured in the pages of The Wall Street Journal. Host Tim Higgins speaks to CEOs and business leaders in interviews that challenge conventional wisdom and take you inside the decisions being made in the C-suite and beyond.
Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com
#Tech #Business #WSJ
Southwest Airlines was built on three pillars: low fares, friendly service, and a quirky "sit anywhere" policy. But in a post-pandemic market, the rules are changing. On the latest episode of the Bold Names podcast, CEO Bob Jordan joins WSJ’s Tim Higgins to discuss one of the airline’s most transformational periods in its 60-year history.
Chapters:
01:35 – Why Southwest Killed Open Seating
04:10 – Addressing the "Growing Pains" of Assigned Seating
06:15 – Plastic Passes and Peanuts: What Defines an Airline’s Soul?
08:20 – Elliott Investment Management’s "Kick in the Pants": Handling Activist Pressure
11:05 – The $1 Billion Math Behind Bag Fees
13:30 – How to Preserve Culture During a Business Pivot
16:45 – Online Doomsayers vs. Real-World Booking Data
19:15 – Ending the Fuel Hedging Program
21:40 – Lounges and Long-Haul: Is Southwest Going International?
WSJ’s Bold Names brings you conversations with the leaders of the bold-named companies featured in the pages of The Wall Street Journal. Host Tim Higgins speaks to CEOs and business leaders in interviews that challenge conventional wisdom and take you inside the decisions being made in the C-suite and beyond.
Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com
#Tech #Business #WSJ
