After twelve years, he became the first black chief pilot of a major U.S. commercial airline. Four years later, in 1984, Southwest opened its first offshore crew and pilot base in Houston and the same year, the company took delivery of its first next-generation Boeing 737–300 and began a new destination in Little Rock , Arkansas. The following year, Southwest expanded outbound, adding flights to St. Louis and Chicago. And by 1986, Southwest had flights listed from 25 cities. The airline has introduced some fare reduction actions in a bid to maintain its market share in the highly competitive post-deregulation airline industry. Promotional programs such as "Incredible Pair Fares", "Fly Now, Pay Less", "Special Price for Seniors" and finally "Fun Fares" have developed a new business strategy. As a result, the company reported a profit in 1997, $317.7 million. Low fares, special programs and promotions help increase the volume of passenger traffic, and some other companies have used the availability of transportation service as the main criterion in markets opened in new locations. The airline's more than 2,000 daily flights, outstanding safety record, and status as a much-admired airline in United States Aviation