DALLAS, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest
Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) today confirmed its interest
and application to bring more low-fare service to Greater Los Angeles by adding new Southwest®
service in 2016 at Long Beach Airport. Working with the
City of Long Beach, the carrier
this week formally applied for slot authority to offer new service,
subject to requisite approvals. Southwest's operation at
Long Beach would be an addition to
the carrier's greater Los Angeles
presence at Los Angeles (LAX),
Burbank, Orange County/Santa
Ana, and Ontario.
"Long Beach would make it five
for five in greater L.A. for Southwest and would give us another
service point to fulfill our promise to connect our California
Customers not only to what's important, but also to
where is important in planning business, vacation, or
personal travel plans," said Gary Kelly, Southwest's Chairman,
President, & CEO, standing before an Employee rally in
Las Vegas. "Nobody can match the
value you all bring to air travel with our world-famous
hospitality, and no one can offer California what we do on a daily basis,
especially with the attractive addition of our low-fare service at
Long Beach."
Employees gathered at a satellite viewing location in downtown
Los Angeles cheered the rally
announcement that would add a tenth California airport to the Southwest route
map. The Company continues to plan for 2016 year-over-year
available seat mile growth in the 5-6 percent range.
Southwest offers more daily departures from
California airports than any other airline, 160 of which are
intrastate flights landing within the state, connecting 19 unique
California city-pair combinations
as of summer 2016. Southwest's California airports will offer
a combined peak weekday schedule of 678 departures to destinations
across the United States, Mexico, and Liberia, Costa Rica
(subject to foreign government approval). Southwest not only
carries more Californians within the state each day, the airline
brings more air travelers to and from California daily than any other carrier,
according to the most recent statistics reported by the U.S.
Department of Transportation.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 45th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines
(NYSE: LUV) continues to differentiate itself from other air
carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by more than
49,000 Employees to more than 100 million Customers annually.
Southwest proudly operates a network of 97 destinations across
the United States and seven
additional countries with more than 3,900 departures a day during
peak travel season.
Based on the U.S. Department of Transportation's most recent
data, Southwest Airlines is the nation's largest carrier in terms
of originating domestic passengers boarded. The Company operates
the largest fleet of Boeing aircraft in the world, the majority of
which are equipped with satellite-based WiFi providing gate-to-gate
connectivity. That connectivity enables Customers to use
their personal devices to view video on-demand movies and
television shows, as well as nearly 20 channels of free, live TV
compliments of our valued Partners. Southwest created
TransfarencySM, a philosophy which treats
Customers honestly and fairly, and in which low fares actually stay
low. Southwest is the only major U.S. airline to offer bags fly
free® to everyone (first and second checked pieces of
luggage, size and weight limits apply, some airlines may allow free
checked bags on select routes or for qualified circumstances), and
there are no change fees, though fare differences might apply. In
2014, the airline proudly unveiled a bold new look:
Heart. The new aircraft livery, airport experience,
and logo, showcase the dedication of Southwest Employees to connect
Customers with what's important in their lives.
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 whenever the carrier enters new
markets. With 43 consecutive years of profitability,
Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world, known
for a triple bottom line approach that contributes to the carrier's
performance and productivity, the importance of its People and the
communities they serve, and an overall commitment to efficiency and
the planet. The 2014 Southwest Airlines One Report™ can be found
at SouthwestOneReport.com.
Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online
at Southwest.com or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA.
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SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.