southwest airlines

Southwest airlines was originally incorporated to serve three cities in Texas as Air southwest airlines on March 15, 1967, by Rollin King and Herb Kelleher.

Some of the incumbent airlines of the time (Braniff, Trans-Texas, and Continental Airlines) initiated legal action, and thus began a 3 year legal battle to keep Air southwest airlines on the ground. Air southwest airlines eventually prevailed in the United States Supreme Court, which ultimately upheld Air southwest airlines's right to fly in Texas. December 7, 1970, the date of the Supreme Court decision, is considered by many to be the de facto beginning of deregulation in the airline industry.

The story of southwest airlines's legal fight was created into a children's book, "Gumwrappers and Goggles" by Winifred Barnum in 1983. In the story, TJ Love, a small jet, is taken to court by two larger jets to keep him from their hangar, and then to try and stop him from flying at all. Taken to court, TJ Love's right to fly is upheld after an impassioned plea from The Lawyer. While no company names are mentioned in the book, TJ Love's colors are those of southwest airlines Airlines, and the two other jets are colored in Braniff and Continental's colors. The Lawyer is designed to resemble Herb Kelleher. The book was adapted into a stage musical, "Show your Spirit," sponsored by southwest airlines Airlines, and playing only in towns serviced by the airline.

First Flights

In early 1971, Air southwest airlines changed its name to southwest airlines Airlines, and the first flight was on June 18, 1971. Its first flights were from Love Field in Dallas to Houston and San Antonio, short hops with no-frills service and a simple fare structure, features that became the basis for southwest airlines's popularity and rapid growth in the coming years.