Story ID: 029Feb19
Herb Kelleher Dead at 87
By: Gregory Polek
Caption: The Southwest Airlines founder left an indelible stamp on the industry. 
Word Count: 373
Herb Kelleher, the colorful co-founder of Southwest Airlines known as a principal architect of low-cost air travel, died January 3 at the age of 87.

Born in Camden, New Jersey, Kelleher studied English and philosophy at Wesleyan University and earned his law degree from New York University. He practiced law on the East Coast before relocating to Texas with plans to start his own law firm. In 1967, Kelleher and one of his clients, Rollin King, incorporated Air Southwest, planting the seed for a series of legal challenges by competing airlines and what would become Southwest Airlines in 1971.

Kelleher’s idea of offering low fares, eliminating unnecessary services, and eschewing hub-and-spoke networks in favor of direct flying between secondary airports serves as a model LCCs emulate to this day. But the chain-smoking industry icon became as well known for his irreverent personality as his business acumen, famously dressing as Elvis Presley and wearing a paper bag over his head in a television commercial in response to competitors’ characterizations of Southwest as a cattle-car operation for cheapskates. Also known as a hard drinker, Kelleher offered a free bottle of liquor to Southwest passengers in a stunt to undercut Braniff during a 1973 fare war. Southwest would soon find that business travelers on expense accounts would gladly pay a few extra dollars for a full-fare ticket in exchange for a bottle of Chivas Regal. 

In a statement mourning Kelleher’s death, Southwest chairman and CEO Gary Kelly characterized the icon’s influence on the industry as “profound.”

“Herb was a lifelong mentor and friend, and one of the greatest joys of my life has been working alongside Herb for over 30 years,” said Kelly. “His vision for making air travel affordable for all revolutionized the industry, and you can still see that transformation taking place today. But his legacy extends far beyond our industry and far beyond the world of entrepreneurship. He inspired people; he motivated people; he challenged people—and, he kept us laughing all the way. He was an exceptionally gifted man with an enormous heart and love for people—all people. We have been beyond blessed to have him as a part of our lives.”
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