Look Out Santa, There's a New Giver in Town!

DALLAS, Nov. 26, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Southwest Airlines today announced an innovative way for people on Facebook to give the opportunity of travel to children who need it most.  Through an alliance with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Southwest Airlines will offer the Foundation $1 in travel each time a Customer uses Facebook Deals to check-in at any of Southwest Airlines' 69 airports.

Facebook users simply need to use their smart phone to check-in using Facebook Places, and share their location upon arrival at any airport Southwest serves, and claim the Deal.  Once they've checked in on Facebook Places and claimed the Deal, Southwest Airlines will automatically donate $1 in travel to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, up to $300,000.  The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, and nearly 70 percent include travel to their wish destination. For more details on how you can participate in this offer, visit: www.southwest.com/fbplaces

"The Make-A-Wish Foundation is proud to join Southwest Airlines in making wishes come true through this campaign," said David Williams, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America President and Chief Executive Officer. "By checking in on Facebook Places at the airport when they travel, Southwest Customers can give the gift of travel to children with life-threatening medical conditions. We appreciate the support of Southwest Airlines and everyone who takes part in the campaign."

"With the holidays right around the corner, we know many of our Customers like to find ways to give back to their communities and others in need.  With this special offer, we are able to help make wishes come true for seriously ill children on behalf of our Facebook fans," said Linda Rutherford, Southwest Airlines Vice President of Communication and Strategic Outreach.

The Facebook Deal offer is a new venture for the airline, which has a rich history of social media success.  Southwest Airlines is a highly regarded pioneer in the social media landscape.  Through active participation and engagement with online consumers, the airline has amassed more than a million Facebook fans and Twitter followers.  Southwest was the first airline to venture into the blog-o-sphere with its award-winning corporate blog, Nuts About Southwest.  To see more details about this offer, visit Southwest's blog at: www.blogsouthwest.com.      

After nearly 40 years of service, Southwest Airlines continues to differentiate itself from other low fare carriers—offering a reliable product with exemplary Customer Service.  Southwest Airlines is the nation's largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers boarded, now serving 69 cities in 35 states with service to Charleston and Greenville-Spartanburg beginning March 13, 2011 and service to Newark Liberty International beginning March 27, 2011.  Southwest also is one of the most honored airlines in the world known for its commitment to the triple bottom line of Performance, People, and Planet.  To read more about how Southwest Airlines is doing its part to be a good citizen, visit southwest.com/cares to read the Southwest Airlines One Report™.  Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,100 flights a day and has nearly 35,000 Employees systemwide.

About the Make-A-Wish Foundation:

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is one of the world's leading children's charities, with 64 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 200,000 wishes in the United States since its inception. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish®.

www.southwest.com

SOURCE Southwest Airlines