COLLEEN BARRETT, ‘HEART AND SOUL’ OF SOUTHWEST AIR, DIES AT 79

(Bloomberg) -- The heart and soul of Southwest Airlines Co. has died.

Colleen Barrett passed away at 79, the carrier said Thursday, after a career that saw her rise from a secretary for the company’s co-founder to the first female president of a major US airline. One of her crowning achievements was being an architect and stalwart of the unique Southwest corporate culture so often linked to its success.

“Colleen’s fingerprints are all over Southwest Airlines, and she cherished her Southwest family,” Bob Jordan, the airline’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. “She taught us how to lead with our hearts, but she was also one of the toughest people I’ve ever known, leading the charge on many battles and coming out victorious through them all.”

Barrett was Southwest co-founder Herb Kelleher’s assistant at a law firm in the late 1960s and stayed with him as he helped found the Dallas-based airline, a journey that included a court battle for the right to operate that went to the US Supreme Court. In 2001, she became president as the company’s sales hit about $5.5 billion.

In 2008, Barrett officially retired but couldn’t stay away. As president emeritus, she remained active at the company for several more years, saying she had the title of “Mom” at the carrier.

Barrett, who was born in Bellow Falls, Vermont, is survived by a son, daughter-in-law, grandson and a brother.

Doug Parker, the former CEO of American Airlines Group Inc., called Barrett an “industry legend.”

“The Southwest story wouldn’t be the Southwest story without Colleen,” Parker said in an interview. “Clearly, Herb was the leader but Colleen was right there with him all the way. He would have been the first one to tell you that. Herb was the culture, but Colleen did all the execution, and it’s not easy. Colleen was the best.”

Kelleher, who died in 2019 at age 87, and Barrett crafted the philosophy that happy employees would lead to happy customers, profitability and happy Southwest shareholders. She focused on Southwest’s workers treating others like they wanted to be treated and hiring for attitude over skills, saying anyone could be trained to do a job.

Barrett oversaw the company’s tradition of writing personal notes to unhappy customers and reaching out to employees on birthdays, anniversaries and other personal milestones. She also helped Kelleher, famous for losing car keys and just about anything else, stay on schedule.

Often seen with a soft drink or cigarette in hand, Barrett was long distinguished by an office festooned with hearts — the company’s logo — that belied her tough nature in the business world. She unsettled a group of reporters during a media day years ago by announcing from the back of the room that the carrier might consider implementing assigned seating — something that has yet to occur.

“She is largely responsible for creating and nurturing the unique and special culture that has defined Southwest Airlines and been the envy of corporate America for more than 50 years,” Southwest Executive Chairman Gary Kelly said in a statement. Barrett was “the heart and soul of Southwest from our earliest days.”