Southwest Passage: The Inside Story of Southwest Airlines' Formative Years

Customer Reviews

Muse was actually there and made it happen as the first CEO of Southwest.

Is it a perfect book? No. Muse is opinionated, and you're definitely getting his side of the story. But he's up front about that and doesn't pretend otherwise. It's also as much about him as it is about Southwest, but that's interesting too. He's had quite an eventful life, and his prior experience is totally relevant to what happened at Southwest and why. I think he'd be the last to claim that he's lead a perfect existence.

He also quotes liberally from the letters to the board of directors that he wrote every month. These are valuable historical documents, and one hopes that Muse preserves them by donating them to a transportation library somewhere.

Muse isn't a professional writer, but his language is direct and to the point. The book is informative, easy to read and entertaining. Even if it wasn't, it would still be worth reading, given his critical role in the birth of Southwest.

One day, someone will write a serious business history of Southwest. When that happens, Muse's book (and hopefully his letters to the board) will be key source material. In the meantime, this is probably the single most interesting book on the foundation of Southwest.

Similar Products