Southwest names the airline’s next chief executive

Southwest, the first large US airline to return to making money after the pandemic crushed air travel, is swapping out one longtime executive at the top for another. After nearly two decades leading the airline, Gary C. Kelly, Southwest’s CE, will step down next year, the airline said Wednesday. He will be replaced by Robert E. Jordan, a top executive who has held a number of jobs at the company. Both men have worked for Southwest since the 1980s. Kelly, 66, has been in the top job since 2004, expanding Southwest into the nation’s largest airline by passengers carried, overseeing its acquisition of AirTran Airways, introducing international flights and guiding the company through the financial crisis and the coronavirus pandemic. Jordan, 60, an executive vice president who oversees communication and outreach and human resources, will become CE on Feb. 1. Kelly will become executive chairman of the airline’s board and is expected to remain in that role at least through 2026. “The good thing is Southwest is promoting someone who knows the company, its culture, its strengths and its weaknesses,” said Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group, a travel market research firm in San Francisco. “That’s really important.” “I think the timing is perfect,” Mr. Kelly said in an interview. “We’re just closing the books on celebrating 50 years last week and I like the imagery of kicking off the next 50 years with strong, fresh leadership.”<br/>