One of the things that make Southwest Airlines so unique is its short-haul focus. The airline does not assign seats or sell tickets through the reservation systems used by travel agents. Many passengers buy tickets at the gate. The only foods served are peanuts, pretzels, and similar snacks, but passengers don’t seem to mind. In fact, serving Customers (at Southwest, always written with a capital “C”) is the focus of the company’s employees. When Colleen Barrett, currently Southwest’s President and Chief Operating Officer, was the Executive Vice President for Customers, she said, “ We will never jump on employees for leaning too far toward the customer, but we come down on them hard for not using common sense.” (4) Southwest’s core values produce employees who are highly motivated and who care about the customers and about one another.