Southwest Airlines Acquires Slots At New York's LaGuardia Airport

DALLAS, Dec. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) has acquired 12 takeoff and landing slots (for six roundtrip flights) at New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA) being divested by American Airlines as part of its merger with US Airways. In addition, Southwest gained permanent control of 10 takeoff and landing slots (for five roundtrip flights) that it currently operates under a lease from American. Details of the transactions are confidential. Southwest plans to begin its new service at LGA in May 2014.  Details of the new service will be available later this month.

"We are pleased the U.S. Department of Justice approved our agreement with American Airlines to acquire these slots at LaGuardia," said Bob Jordan, Southwest's Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. "This is terrific news for low-fare Customers who want greater access to New York City."

Southwest and its subsidiary AirTran Airways currently operate 27 daily roundtrip flights to and from LGA to eight nonstop destinations. The acquired slots will allow the airlines to add six daily roundtrips.

Southwest Customers have consistently shown increasing demand for service into the New York City metropolitan airports. Southwest currently serves Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia Airport, and Long Island MacArthur Airport. These six additional roundtrips at LGA will strengthen Southwest's service to and from the New York City area.

"We also look forward to bidding on the slots at Washington's Reagan National Airport (DCA) that American also is required to divest," Jordan added.  "That will be conducted as a separate process, and was not a part of this slot bid."

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 43rd year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) continues to differentiate itself from other carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by nearly 46,000 Employees to more than 100 million Customers annually.  Southwest is the nation's largest carrier in terms of originating passengers boarded, and including wholly-owned subsidiary, AirTran Airways, operates the largest fleet of Boeing aircraft in the world to serve 96 destinations in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and five near-international countries. Southwest 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 about how Southwest is doing its part to be a good corporate citizen, visit southwest.com/citizenship to read the Southwest Airlines One Report™.

SOURCE Southwest Airlines