M. Lamar Muse; key innovator of Southwest Airlines
LOS ANGELES -- M. Lamar Muse, the maverick executive whose innovations at
During a turbulent 37-year career that included stints at several carriers -- including his own Muse Air -- Mr. Muse forged a reputation as an airline trendsetter who wasn't afraid to buck conventional wisdom. Although his role in the rise of Southwest was often reduced to little more than a footnote in the company's history, many in the industry credit Mr. Muse with scripting the basic template for the airline's success: no-frills travel with frequent service at prices anyone could afford.
"He created the model that Southwest still follows today," said Scott Hamilton, an aviation consultant and former Muse Air executive. "And you have airlines around the world following the Southwest model and that goes back to Lamar.
"He's one of the industry's greatest unrecognized giants."
Along the way, the plain-spoken Texan also became known for a blunt approach to interpersonal relations that could wound as well as charm.
"He could be difficult to get along with," his son and fellow airline executive, Michael Muse, acknowledged. "He didn't care whose feelings he hurt. He was always going to express his view of things."
Referring to Mr. Muse as "a cantankerous genius," Southwest cofounder Herb Kelleher told The Dallas Morning News that his former colleague "was the perfect person -- because he was tough, he was competitive, he was hard-minded -- to get Southwest Airlines off the ground and turn it into a money maker."
Southwest's original operating plan, famously sketched out on a cocktail napkin, consisted of three planes flying between San Antonio, Houston, and the airline's home base at Dallas' s Love Field. Faced with intense competition from entrenched rivals such as Dallas-based Braniff International, Mr. Muse developed a strategy based on cheap tickets and attention-getting stunts.
Mr. Muse, however, left Southwest following a 1978 boardroom battle. Along with Michael Muse, he launched Dallas-based Muse Air in 1980. Referred to by industry wags as "Revenge Air" and known for its groundbreaking on-board smoking ban, Mr. Muse's new airline became locked in a bitter struggle with Southwest.
Southwest eventually bought Muse Air in 1985, changing the name to TranStar.
