James Parker, Southwest Airlines Ex-CEO, Dead At 72

James Parker, a former CEO of Southwest Airlines, died unexpectedly at the age of 72, following dinner with friends Saturday.

He not only led the Dallas-based company during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, but also served as the vice chairman of the airline's board of directors.

Post the attack that shook the airline industry, he took many critical decisions. Instead of cutting down on airline workforce, he retained all of them and made close to a $180-million profit-sharing payment to them in a few days post the attack. He retired from his post in 2004 at the age of 57.

In the book “Do the Right Thing: How Dedicated Employees Create Loyal Customers and Large Profits,” that was published post his retirement, he wrote, “ Our people built a house of bricks, while others had built theirs of straw. Thirty years of doing things the right way had given us the strength to do the right things during the worst crisis in the history of aviation."

Gary Kelly succeeded him as the CEO and continues to hold the role even today.

"Jim's contributions to Southwest Airlines were many and immeasurable, and he valiantly led Southwest through one of the industry's most trying times in the wake of the tragic 9/11 attacks. Under Jim's Leadership, Southwest successfully navigated through this dark time, preserving job security of our people while remaining profitable under the most unlikely of odds. Jim was a beloved member of our Southwest Family, and we will miss him dearly," Kelly said, the Dallas News reported.

The place and cause of death is unknown.