Southwest #Airlines Named To FORTUNE's 2014 #List Of World's #Most #Admired #Companies

Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) today was named to FORTUNE's 2014 list of World's Most Admired Companies for the 20th consecutive year. Southwest was ranked as the 9th Most Admired Company and is the only commercial airline to make the Top Ten.  FORTUNE worked with the Hay Group, a global management consulting firm, and asked executives, directors, and analysts which companies they admired most from a list made up of the companies that ranked in the top 25 percent in last year's survey, plus those that finished in the top 20 percent of their industry.

"The Employees of Southwest Airlines are the secret ingredient in our recipe for success, and they are the reason we are consistently recognized as one of the Most Admired Companies in the world," said Gary Kelly, Chairman, President, and CEO of Southwest Airlines. "This is my 28th year at Southwest, and I have never had more confidence, more pride, and more enthusiasm for the future. Congratulations to the People of Southwest on this high honor."

Nearly 700 companies from 30 countries around the world were analyzed and ranked with input from 3,900 executives, directors and analysts. The survey measures nine attributes, including financial performance and corporate reputation.