由於石油價格日益高漲，造成燃料油價格高漲，航空公司營運成本增加，但是由於航空產業競爭激烈，使得航空公司不易將所多增加之成本完全轉嫁給消費者。在這樣惡劣的整體環境因素下，廉價航空卻多能維持成長與獲利，西南航空更為其中之表率。 營運模式可以被視為是廠商各項策略的一個整合代表。一般大型的航空公司多為網絡航空公司，希望能夠吸引更多的旅客到它們的hub，基本上就是要利用規模經濟的效益，要吸引大量需求以承擔龐大的固定成本。廉價航空的營運模式有許多特點，其中低價當然是最重要的一項特色。大多數的廉價航空與大型航空公司的差異會呈現在其訂價策略、機場選擇、機隊、航線結構、通路、和生產力。 西南航空刻意避免採用hub-and-spoke模式，因此其班機的起降不會太過於集中於少數機場。但是西南航空之成功因素並不是只在於單純的”直飛航線”、”單一機型的機隊”或是”no frills”，而是全方位的致力於節省各項成本，所以有許多創新的作法，不是因循其他航空公司之固定的模式。由於這些成功的因素已深入在西南航空的營運模式中，其他航空公司只能模仿到其中一兩項作法，但是缺乏所謂的”Southwest spirit”，這些大型航空公司無法作根本上的改變，因此這些模仿大都並不成功。也就是西南航空的核心競爭力是不容易被模仿的。 ;As the cost of fuel rises with the oil price, it is more and more difficult for airlines to survive. The competition within the industry makes it hard for airlines to increase air fare. As many legacy airlines have filed for bankruptcy, low-cost airlines’ success is intriguing. Southwest Airlines is regarded as the first and the most successful low-cost airline company. Most legacy airlines use the hub-and-spoke model to save on economies of scale. However, Southwest Airlines uses the point-to-point model instead. Rather than saving cost due to economies of scale, Southwest Aurlines saves costs from other aspects, such as low distribution costs of tickests by using internet, low maintanence costs of aircraft by using one type of aircraft, low fuel costs by hedging, and low landing costs by using secondary airports. It is difficult for other airlines to minick Southwest Airlines’success as it is not attributed to any single factor. However, Southwest Airlines faces more and more challenges as it grows bigger.
