For the LUV of Culture: What Southwest Airlines Can Teach Higher Ed About Change
As a loyal Southwest Airlines frequent flyer, my “luv” of this company goes beyond the “bags fly free” campaign or open seating. From its beginning Southwest arrived as an innovator in a crowded, competitive industry. The company’s early visionary leadership resulted in strategic decisions that changed how airline travel would be viewed. Instead of treating people as customers, Southwest Airlines focused on being a company with a heart, a company that made decisions because they were right not because they were required.
Then, in December 2022, Southwest Airlines, a previously reliable case study in simplicity, affordability, and customer service, experienced a historic meltdown. Over 16,700 flights were canceled, passengers were stranded across the country, and the company’s longstanding operational model came under intense scrutiny. It was the gasp heard across the airline industry, and recovery took much longer than anticipated and resulted in corporate changes that threatened to challenge the loyalty Southwest Airlines spent so many years building.
A Legacy of Disruption and Discipline
Founded in 1967 by Herb Kelleher and Rollin King, Southwest set out to democratize air travel at a time when flying was still largely a luxury. With a maverick spirit and a sharp eye for operational efficiency, the airline pioneered a low-cost, no-frills model built around short-haul, point-to-point service in Texas.
Kelleher's leadership became legendary, not only for his charisma and humor but for his insistence on maintaining a strong company culture rooted in employee satisfaction, customer service, and operational discipline. Southwest made strategic decisions that separated it from the pack: flying a single aircraft type (the Boeing 737) to streamline maintenance and training, using secondary airports to avoid congestion, and turning planes around faster than any other airline.
In an industry plagued by bankruptcies, bailouts, and consolidation, Southwest remained profitable for 47 consecutive years, a stunning achievement. Its formula of simplicity, reliability, and culture-first management allowed it to weather fuel price shocks, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis with remarkable resilience.
The Crisis of December 2022: When the Old Playbook Failed
In December 2022, Southwest hit some proverbial turbulence it couldn’t outmaneuver. Severe winter storms were the catalyst, but the real culprit was decades of underinvestment in technology and organizational flexibility. The same lean, decentralized systems that once offered nimbleness became liabilities.
Crew scheduling software was outdated, communication systems collapsed under strain, and without a hub-and-spoke network, cascading cancellations were harder to recover from. What once made Southwest unique—its simplified, point-to-point model—had become a burden under modern travel complexities. The company’s leadership has since acknowledged the need for sweeping updates to its infrastructure and strategy.
Parallel Struggles in Higher Education
Higher education institutions find themselves in a strikingly similar position. Colleges and universities have rich traditions, identities forged over centuries, and loyal communities of faculty, students, and alumni. But just like Southwest, many institutions have clung too tightly to legacy structures: curricula that no longer align with workforce needs, rigid faculty governance, outdated student service systems, and cost models that strain accessibility.
Calls for reform are growing louder, with many institutions looking to competency-based education, hybrid learning models, alternative credentials, and outsourced support services to prove continued value that was once inherent. Yet many institutions fear that too much change might erode their core identity, their version of “bags fly free.”
The Balancing Act: Modernize Without Losing the Mission
What Southwest and higher education both teach us is this: meaningful change requires a delicate balance. It's not about tearing down everything that came before; it’s about selectively evolving the elements that no longer serve today’s needs, while fiercely protecting what makes the institution or brand beloved.
In Southwest’s case, the challenge is updating tech infrastructure and operational agility while preserving its customer-first culture and affordability. In higher ed, the task is to modernize learning pathways, rethink delivery models, and address equity, without losing the heart of the academic mission: critical thinking, inquiry, mentorship, and civic growth.
Lessons for Higher Ed from Southwest’s Flight Path
Don’t Wait for Crisis to Modernize: Proactive investment in infrastructure and strategy is essential before systems fail. Institutions must prioritize innovation budgets, not just survival budgets. This is more than just chasing the next big thing in education. Institutions need to understand what sets them apart, clarify their mission, and embrace growth areas to ensure graduates have the skills required to be competitive. Modernization isn’t about keeping up for the sake of keeping up, it is aligning your strengths with what students actually need before a breakdown forces your hand.
Preserve the Heart, Not the Hull: Just as Southwest is working to preserve its brand values while updating its fleet and systems, institutions must protect their academic ethos while adapting delivery methods and student supports. The students of today require different supports than cohorts of the past. They must navigate a rapidly changing world while gaining the skills needed to thrive in the future. Institutions that understand this are uniquely positioned to evolve without losing their core identity, upgrading the systems, not abandoning the soul.
Transparency Builds Trust: Southwest lost customer trust when it failed to communicate quickly and clearly. Higher ed can do better by involving stakeholders in the change process and explaining the “why” behind reforms. While communication failures can erode trust, so does a pivot away from foundational tenets that make companies and institutions distinctive. When Southwest communicated foundational changes, there was little “heart” behind the words as mass notifications went out across news media. Southwest frequent flyers choose the airline for its unique features, open seating, free snacks, and ease of travel. Now Southwest is in the middle of a transition to become like everyone else, leaving loyal customers to wonder whether they really ever mattered.
Innovation Doesn’t Have to Mean Imitation: Not every institution needs to become a tech startup. Just like Southwest doesn't need to be Delta, institutions can chart their own path, grounded in mission but responsive to the present. We do not need more of the same. From inventions, cures, and life-changing breakthroughs, what we thrive on most is choice. The freedom to choose pathways that best serve our needs. In higher education, that means offering more than copycat programs and instead creating experiences that reflect the institution’s unique strengths, values, and identity.
The Sky Isn’t Falling—But It Is Changing
Both airlines and institutions navigate complex, people-centered systems in a world of rising expectations and tightening margins. As Southwest barrels down a path of foundational change, loyal customers look on with trepidation and uncertainty, waiting to determine whether this once “luved” airline will become just like the competition. Higher education has an opportunity to learn from this trajectory that change is not an existential threat but an opportunity, if done for the right reasons. The goal isn’t to become unrecognizable; it’s to be resilient and responsive while remaining true to the mission. Just like a pilot navigating turbulence, institutions must remain steady and adaptable, adjusting course when needed, but always keeping their eyes on the destination.
