Southwest Airlines launched initial service to Mexico with inaugural flights over the weekend

New Service on Southwest Airlines Offers Nonstop Options from Orange County/Santa Ana, Atlanta, and Baltimore/Washington

DALLAS, 2014-8-13 — /Travel PR News/ — Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) launched initial service to Mexico with inaugural flights over the weekend that bring new flight options offering the value and legendary Customer Service delivered by the Employees of Southwest, the United States’ largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers boarded¹. The nonstop routes previously served by wholly owned subsidiary AirTran Airways now operate daily between Orange County/Santa Ana and San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos, Mexico, and between Cancun and both Atlanta and Baltimore/Washington.

Saturday-only service on Southwest between Milwaukee and Cancun begins Aug. 16, 2014.

The Company plans to fully convert all international and domestic service currently flown by AirTran to Southwest by the end of this year. The carriers’ flights schedules are published through Mar. 6, 2015, and are available for purchase at southwest.com.

“The favorite beach destinations of our Mexico-bound Customers also are great additions to a portfolio of leisure destinations where we offer a way to connect our Customers to important experiences and memories, whether family vacations, reunions, adventure, or pure relaxation,” said Andrew Watterson, Southwest’s Vice President of Network Planning and Performance. “Introducing Southwest service on these nonstop routes brings additional seats every day offering the value of Bags Fly Free® and No Change Fees, and our ready-made Customer base of millions of vacationers ready to hit the beach.”

“Californians already represent the majority of visitors from the U.S. to Los Cabos, and Mexican visitors to Southern California are also the largest group by nationality of all foreign visitors. The bilateral relationship is already very robust and will continue to grow with this new flight,” said The Honorable Alejandra Garcia Williams, Consul General of Mexico in Orange County, Calif., before the inaugural Southwest flight to San Jose del Cabo departed John Wayne Airport. “On behalf of the Government of Mexico, please join me in wishing Southwest airlines continued success in this historic expansion to Mexico.”

AirTran Airways continues to operate daily service between Mexico City and Orange County/Santa Ana until the route converts to Southwest Airlines service on Nov. 2, 2014.

Southwest Airlines began international service on July 1 with flights to Oranjestad, Aruba; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Nassau, The Bahamas, in the Caribbean. International service from Denver begins Oct. 7. Additional international service from Chicago (Midway), Austin, and San Antonio begins Nov. 2, the same day Southwest Airlines begins serving Punta Cana, Dominican Republic*, and Mexico City.

*subject to Government approvals

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 44th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) continues to differentiate itself from other carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by more than 45,000 Employees to more than 100 million Customers annually. 1Based on the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Southwest is the nation’s largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers boarded. The airline also operates the largest fleet of Boeing aircraft in the world to serve 93 destinations in 40 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and five near-international countries. Some flights are operated by wholly owned subsidiary AirTran Airways. Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world, known for its triple bottom line approach that takes into account the carrier’s performance and productivity, the importance of its People and the communities it serves, and its commitment to efficiency and the planet. The 2013 Southwest Airlines One Report™ can be found at southwest.com/citizenship.

From its first flights on June 18, 1971, Southwest Airlines launched an era of unprecedented affordability in air travel described by the U.S. Department of Transportation as “The Southwest Effect,” a lowering of fares and increase in passenger traffic wherever the carrier serves. With Southwest Airlines, Bags Fly Free ® (first and second checked pieces of luggage, size and weight limits apply), and there are no change fees (fare difference may apply) when you need to change your flight. Southwest’s fleet offers leather seating and the comfort of full-size cabins, a majority of which are equipped with satellite-based WiFi connectivity over the United States, which enables live and video-on-demand TV currently FREE compliments of DISH, and a new, sustainable cabin interior. Southwest acquired AirTran Airways in May 2011 and by the end of 2014 intends to complete the full integration of the AirTran network into Southwest. With 41 consecutive years of profitability, the People of Southwest and AirTran operate more than 3,600 flights a day. Southwest Airlines’ frequent flights and low fares are available online at
southwest.com or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA.

Media Contacts:

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