Pursuits
Southwest Risks Keep-It-Simple Focus to Spur Growth
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Southwest Airlines Co. Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly, taking on his biggest acquisition ever, is dismantling the carrier’s keep-it-simple strategy in a bid to reignite growth.
The largest U.S. low-fare carrier’s decision to buy AirTran Holdings Inc. for $1.4 billion will mark its first foray into a second jet type and its first boost in seating capacity since the end of 2008.