Bob Jordan is now Southwest Airlines’ new CEO. Here’s what’s on his plate

Bob Jordan is now Southwest Airlines’ new CEO. Here’s what’s on his plate

' new CEO, Bob Jordan, has taken on the task of guiding the carrier out of the Covid pandemic after two bruising years. Jordan, 61, who took the reins Tuesday, has 34 years of experience working at Southwest, overseeing a host of initiatives including Southwest's network expansion and the airline's acquisition of AirTran. His career has spanned paper tickets to mobile boarding passes. He replaces Gary Kelly, becoming the Dallas airline's sixth CEO in its five-decade history. Kelly, 66, is staying on as executive chairman after more than 17 years as CEO, completing a succession plan unveiled last June. Costs and labor pressure Jordan faces a host of challenges: a profit-crimping surge in expenses from fuel to salaries, relationships with labor, hiring struggles, the slow return of business travel, and ensuring the airline doesn't repeat costly of 2021. "Just do the basics right," said Brett Snyder, a former airline manager who runs the Cranky Flier travel service and website. "Run a good operation. For me, that's all that matters." Southwest has already dialed back its growth plans. "If we need to, and I'm not predicting we will, we'll continue to moderate our capacity because we are going to have a