Mission statements are a must have for every businesses. They provide consumers and other businesses a general sense of what the company they are looking at is all about. They announce the objective/objectives of an organization and their values. The transportation industry is no exception to this need for mission statements. Taking a look at the airline industry I will analyze the mission statements of United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and Jetblue Airlines, and how these major airlines hold up to their word.
United Airlines:
Mission
Our mission is to develop, implement and communicate United’s commitment to community service by sponsoring and supporting charitable organizations, as well as programs and activities that improve the communities where our customers and employees live and work.
http://www.united.com/page/article/0,,1367,00.html
United is an innovative company in the industry in that since 1996 they have offered the Mileage Plus Charity Miles Program which is made possible through the dozens of partners that sponser it such as the American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, Rotary International, the Salvation Army, and more that donate over 1 billion miles to under privileged children and families as well as humanitarians and volunteers. In addition to this program United has its own foundation, the United Airlines Foundation which provides money/aid to groups that request it. Recently they have focused their giving to arts and culture programs, youth at risk, and volunteerism. In sum, these two large charity projects live out the mission of United Airlines to support and sponsor customers and the community.
http://www.united.com/page/article/0,,1363,00.html
Delta Air Lines:
Mission
To continuously create value through an inclusive culture by leveraging partnerships and serving communities where we live and work.
http://www.delta.com/about_delta/community_involvement/delta_foundation/index.jsp
Delta is certainly committed to improving their service for customers. According to the StarTribune Delta moved up to 5th place from 15th last year in on-time flights out of 16 airline carriers. In addition, Delta was noted for handling pets and luggage better this year than last year. What’s more is that Fortune Magazine for the year of 2011 named Delta as the “Most admired airline in the world”. So, Delta has proved itself as a strong airline in the industry offering improved and accommodating service to its customers.
http://www.startribune.com/business/139409738.html
Southwest Airlines
Mission:
The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.
http://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/index.html
For this year (2012) Southwest Airlines topped the list of the most desirable brands in the U.S. putting Google in 2nd place, Southwest Airlines is indisputably a customer-service orientated company. Priding themselves in their mission statement for providing warmth, friendliness, and spirit Southwest certainly has earned its bragging rights. What’s most interesting about the fact that Southwest topped the chart was that there were two lists separated by men and women, and Southwest came in first on both lists. Thus, Southwest is doing a great job bringing customer service to get voted number one most desirable brand in America by both men and women. In addition they received the 2011 Quest for Quality Award for Excellence by Logistics Management magazine. They ranked first in on-time performance, value, and customer service. Thus, they have proved that they are an airline that cares about its customers and not just pleasing them, but providing the optimum service.
http://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/history/fact-sheet.html
Jet Blue Airways
Mission:
JetBlue Airways is dedicated to bringing humanity back to air travel. We strive to make every part of your experience as simple and as pleasant as possible. Unfortunately, there are times when things do not go as planned. If you’re inconvenienced as a result, we think it is important that you know exactly what you can expect from us. That’s why we created our Customer Bill of Rights. These Rights will always be subject to the highest level of safety and security for our customers and crewmembers.
http://www.jetblue.com/flying-on-jetblue/customer-protection/
Jetblue along with Southwest has numerous accolades of its own. For the past seven years, JD Power and Associated has awarded Jetblue with the highest honors in the airline industry for low-cost carriers in customer satisfaction. Known to have accommodating policies, tv screens at each seat, and more roomy interiors Jetblue keeps its customers at the top of their priority. To go into further detail Jetblue has the most legroom in coach, leather seats for all, DIRECTV, XM Satellite Radio, first checked bag free of charge, and unlimited complementary snacks and drinks. In addition, their staff is known to be the friendliest in the industry. With a down to Earth staff and a comfortable and entertaining flying experience Jetblue keeps its promise to bring back humanity to traveling. In addition, strive for the highest customer satisfaction of any airline, and according to JD Power and Associates they have achieved this goal.
Kimbo, I find it interesting how brief many of these companies’ missions statements are. Of the mission statements that you posted I thought that Jet Blue did the best job with their mission statement. It is direct, detailed, and has a proven track record. It is also good to see that Delta is improving its services and providing for a better experience for their customers. It is also nice to see that companies, such as United Airlines, are giving back to the community and are donating to various charities. The airlines that you listed are major airlines, did you notice any differences when you compared these mission statements to those of smaller companies that fly more local, such as Cape Air (from the Cape Cod area) or another small airline?