Bob Crandall on Charlie Rose Show

[Rogallo]

Herb.

Yeah, he mighta chain-smoked a few more Marlboros!!

 

[Buck]

Yeah, he mighta chain-smoked a few more Marlboros!!

Herb is not tobacco!

 

[TWU informer]

What?

 

[Buck]

What?

Erick Oleson said Herb Kellher of Southwest was a good CEO. The tobacco statement was made. I said that herb is not tobacco ....ha ha

Did you listen to Crandall? He was also on FoxNation a couple of times this month. Petty good stuff.

 

[TWU informer]

Really?

 

[tom barry]

Herb.

Sorry E to disagree with you. H K was very good, but running a SMALLER successful size airline like SW was Easier than running a much larger successful airline like AA .

 

[eolesen]

Bears, your hero worship of Bob is commendable; most of the people I know who've studied airline history to the degree I like to will speak of Herb and Bob in the same manner.

Both succesfully took their airlines thru the Gates of Deregulation, and grew them into economic powerhouses over the 2+ decades each were in power.

Herb created a culture that lasted, Bob handed the company over to lesser CEOs who destroyed a lot of the momentum & managed to make labor relations even worse than they thought they could be under Crandall.

Less agreeable on Gordon being an equal. He was "only" there for ten years, and was more like a Lee Iacocca in that he led a commendable turnaround from the turd Lorenzo left behind. GTransforming a damaged franchise isn't quite the same as growing a franchise to twice (or more) the size it was when you showed up, and I don't see where CO grew exponentially under his tenure unless you include the growth at CO Express...