Southwest's Gary Kelly Goes Rogue

You have got to love Southwest Airlines chief executive Gary Kelly. While United, American and Delta airlines predicted rosy skies with rising profits and business travel in 2010, Kelly decides to say, "Business travel still lags. I'm not expecting strong economic growth in 2010, and likewise I'm not expecting a rebound in business travel in 2010."

Personally, I think anyone has to admire Kelly's honesty although it probably caused Southwest shareholders to freak out. However, Kelly put those fears at ease by going on to say that the carrier is still gaining passengers because it doesn't charge fees for the first two bags. He also stated that Southwest will soon revamp its currently lackluster Rapid Rewards program to increase customer loyalty. (Sound familiar?)

It's good to see that Southwest is getting back to its roots of good customer service and hopefully its new rewards program will build and maintain loyalty.