Southwest Expands Footprint Beyond the 48 Contiguous States as the Carrier Continues to Integrate with AirTran Airways
DALLAS, 2012-11-02 — /travelprnews.com/ — Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) now offers for sale nonstop service from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Orlando and Tampa Bay, for travel beginning on Sunday, April 14, 2013. Beginning in April, Southwest will operate three daily nonstop flights between Orlando and San Juan and one daily nonstop flight between Tampa Bay and San Juan, as the carrier transitions these routes from AirTran-operated city pairs. To celebrate the new San Juan service, Southwest announced a fare sale of $99* one-way between these markets. These fares must be booked by Nov. 7, 2012, for travel between Monday, April 15, 2013, and Thursday, May 23, 2013 (Friday and Sunday travel is excluded). See full fare rules below. To take advantage of these special fares, travel must be booked at www.southwest.com.
AirTran will continue to offer service between San Juan and Baltimore/Washington, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, and Atlanta. Southwest soon will determine the best time to convert the remaining AirTran flying to Southwest as part of the ongoing integration to eventually become one airline flying under the Southwest brand. AirTran Customers who booked flights between San Juan and Tampa Bay or San Juan and Orlando for travel beginning April 14, 2013, or later will be contacted by the airline and rebooked on Southwest flights. As Southwest continues to integrate AirTran’s People, places, and planes into Southwest Airlines, Customers of both carriers may exchange earned loyalty points between both AirTran’s A+ Rewards® and Southwest’s Rapid Rewards® frequent flyer programs for reward travel on either airline.**
“Southwest celebrates San Juan, Puerto Rico, as our first venture beyond the continental United States,” said Southwest Airlines Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer and AirTran Airways President, Bob Jordan. “AirTran has done a wonderful job establishing a presence in this market, and Southwest is proud to continue that legacy and extend our vast network of destinations, exceptional Customer Service, and convenient low fares to the San Juan community.”
“We are excited about Southwest’s arrival into Puerto Rico to offer its legendary Customer Service. It is an honor to be Southwest’s first destination outside the continental United States. The Puerto Rico Tourism Company and all Puerto Rican travelers welcome this new carrier to our Island and know that this new service will provide great opportunities for growth into the airline’s robust network, and great connectivity to the west coast markets in the U.S.,” said Luis G. Rivera Marin, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.
AirTran began service at San Juan in March 2008 with service to Orlando and Atlanta. In February 2009, the carrier added service between San Juan and Baltimore/Washington. AirTran added San Juan service to Tampa Bay in April 2011 and to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood in May 2012. Today, AirTran still offers a total of five daily nonstop flights to three markets from San Juan: Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, and Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood.
About Southwest Airlines
In its 42nd year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) continues to differentiate itself from other low-fare carriers by providing reliability and exemplary Customer Service delivered by 46,000 Employees to more than 100 million Customers every year. Including wholly owned subsidiary AirTran Airways, the Company operates the largest fleet of Boeing aircraft in the world to serve 97 destinations in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and six near-international countries. Visit southwest.com/citizenship to read the Southwest Airlines One Report™ and see how Southwest is doing its part to be a good citizen while underscoring a commitment to the triple bottom line of Performance, People, and Planet.
AirTran Airways
AirTran Airways, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines Co., has been ranked the top airline in the Airline Quality Rating study three times in the past five years. AirTran offers coast-to-coast and near-international service with nearly 700 flights a day on North America’s newest all-Boeing fleet. The airline’s low-cost, high-quality product also includes assigned seating and Business Class. To book a flight, visit airtran.com.
ADDITIONAL FARE RULES
Fares are available only on www.southwest.com and www.swabiz.com and can be purchased today, through Nov. 7, 2012, 11:59 pm PT. Travel must take place between Monday, April 15, 2013, and Thursday, May 23, 2013. Fares are valid for travel every day except Fridays and Sundays. Seats are limited. Fares may vary by destinations, flight, and day of week and won’t be available on some flights that operate during very busy travel times and holiday periods. Fares are available for one-way travel. Fares may be combined with other combinable fares, except Senior Fares. When combining fares, all rules and restrictions apply. Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward the purchase of future travel on Southwest Airlines. Fares are not available through the Group Desk. Any change in the itinerary may result in an increase in fare. Standby travel requires an upgrade to the Anytime fare. Fares are subject to change until ticketed. Fares are valid on published, scheduled service only.
* Government-imposed taxes and fees are now included in the advertised fare. To comply with new government regulations, all airlines must include government-imposed taxes and fees in advertised air fares.
* * In order to redeem A+ Reward Credits for Southwest Airlines flights, members must have both a Rapid Rewards account and an A+Rewards account, and both accounts must be in the name of the same Member. Click here for complete rules and regulations.
SOURCE Southwest Airlines