Bob Jordan Takes The Helm At Southwest Airlines

These Southwest Airlines planes, seen on a tarmac in California, were among the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft grounded after two fatal crashes; Boeing now hopes the model will be cleared to fly in January 2020, while some airlines are aiming for March

Southwest (LUV) has ushered in a new CEO with the appointment of Bob Jordan - a 34-year veteran of the company who replaces Gary Kelly.

Jordan, 61, who took the helm on Tuesday, will lead the airline as it looks to navigate its way through the challenges of the next wave of the pandemic.

In a statement, Jordan said, “After more than 30 years at Southwest, I have the privilege of stepping into the role of CEO on February 1. When I started at Southwest in 1988 as a programmer, I never dreamed this could be possible, but at Southwest Airlines, all things are possible. It’s an honor to serve you and our People; I’m humbled by the opportunity, ready for the job, and excited about what’s ahead for our great company.”

Jordan has held 15 different positions within Southwest, including jobs in the finance, planning procurement, fuel, facilities, technology, and corporate strategy departments of the airline. He also served as a Chief Commercial Officer and was president of AirTran Airways during the integration of the airline.

In Jordan’s most recent role, he was Southwest’s Executive Vice President of Corporate Services.

Jordan replaces Kelly, 66, who was the fifth CEO in Southwest’s history. Kelly, who was CEO for more than 17 years, will stay on as Executive Chairman.

In Jordan’s new role, he expects a lot of things to remain the same, like not charging ticket change fees or checked baggage fees, he told CNBC. But Jordan maintained that there are things that he does want to improve, such as offering technology enhancements for customers and employees.

He told CNBC, “We’re going to hire thousands of thousands. Their expectation of how they engage is going to change. A lot of that is going to come through an app...so we need to work on our employee experience.”

He continued by saying that improved technology would come in the form of onboard Wi-Fi to self-service through smartphone apps.

“We’ll be investing in all of that,” he told the news outlet.

Outside of Southwest, Jordan is the Chairperson of the Board for The Container Store and is on the Board of Trustees for the Southwestern Medical Foundation.

Jordan is also a graduate of Texas A&M, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science and his master’s in business administration.

He is married to his wife, Kelly, with who he has two grown children and two grandsons.

As of Wednesday at 9:50 a.m., shares of Southwest were trading at $44.32, down 86 cents, or 1.90%.