Target Market. Southwest’s target market consists of “convenience, time-oriented business travelers and price-sensitive leisure travelers” (Peter & Donnelly, 2013, p 258). Because Southwest is able to load and unload passengers quicker than other airlines due to their unassigned seating method and the fact their fares have been historically less costly than other airlines that focus more on extras and/or being considered more luxurious, they are able to successfully target these travelers. I was unable to find any statistics on the size of their market but it would seem evident to me that the size would be large as it would include young travelers and low to medium income earners. Current Marketing Efforts. Southwest’s marketing efforts …show more content…
Competitors. Competitors include Delta, American, United, and Jetblue. According to The Statistics Portal, Southwest holds 19.1% of the domestic market share while its competitors hold 18.3%, 16.9%, 14.5%, and 5.5% respectively (Domestic market share of leading U.S. airlines in 2016). Strategic Factors. Southwest’s strategic efforts have focused on low cost fares, no frills, and fun. One way they were able to have lower costs is by a quicker turnaround time while they are on the ground unloading and reloading (Peter & Donnelly, 2013, p 259). Southwest states that if they can get the planes in and out of an airport quicker they can offer more flights each day resulting in more revenue. They were also able to set new industry standards such as flying “more passengers per employee than any other major airline” (Peter & Donnelly, 2013, p 260) while having “the fewest number of employees per aircraft” (Peter & Donnelly, 2013, p 260). They don’t offer all the special treatment first class flyers have on other airlines – it is about getting everyone on and to their destination. They assign zones to boarding passes and passengers line up according to their assigned number in the zone and when you get on the plane you take the first seat that suits your fancy as there are no assigned seats. Because of their no frills strategy and lower cost of business operations such as not needing as many employees per flight as other airlines, they are able to offer lower