Southwest CEO plots sustainable flight path for recovery

As he prepares to transition to executive chairman next year, Southwest CEO and Airlines for America chairman of the board Gary Kelly shared his priorities for the carrier and the industry. “We’re really focused on the moment here and dealing with the pandemic still and working very hard to get back to profitability,” Kelly said. “We’re very excited about our plans for 2022.” Kelly identified sustainability as a longer-term priority for the industry, saying, “What we’re all really focused on is climate change with net-zero carbon emissions goals no later than 2050 as an industry.”