1967年、航空業界に新たな風を吹き込む「空飛ぶバス」が誕生しました。その名もサウスウエスト航空!彼らは競合を大手航空会社ではなく、なんとバスや自動車と捉えました。
それまで当たり前だった、指定席や機内食を廃止。乗客は自由に席を選べるようになり、搭乗がよりスムーズに。また機種を統一することで整備の時間を短縮し、より多くの飛行機を空に飛ばせるように。
こうやってコストをぐっと抑え、誰もが気軽に空の旅を楽しめるような低運賃を実現しました。サウスウエスト航空の成功は、LCC(ローコストキャリア)という新しい航空会社のカテゴリーを生み出し、世界中の空の旅をもっと身近なものにしました。
In 1967, a “flying bus” was born, bringing a new twist to the airline industry. It was called Southwest Airlines! They saw their competition not as the major airlines, but as buses and automobiles.
The previously commonplace assigned seating and in-flight meals were eliminated. Passengers can now freely choose their seats, making boarding smoother. Also, by unifying the aircraft types, maintenance time was reduced, allowing more planes to take to the skies.
In this way, costs were dramatically reduced and low fares were achieved so that everyone could enjoy air travel with ease. The success of Southwest Airlines has created a new category of airline, the low-cost carrier (LCC), making air travel around the world more accessible.