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Aug 2025
42m 14s

Can Southwest Airlines Survive? | Excess...

Wondery
About this episode
It’s 2023 and Southwest Airlines’ stock is in a nosedive. With costs ascending, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan freezes hiring and slashes spending. Amid all that, a crisis at Boeing has left Southwest short on jets. With Southwest weakened, an unwelcome, activist investor rushes on board. Jordan jettisons staffers along with longstanding policies like open seating ... Show More
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