Southwest Airlines and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Announce College Students Selected for Annual Travel Program

DALLAS, Oct. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines,(NYSE: LUV), in conjunction with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), today announced students selected to receive the annual "Lanzate/Take Off" Education Travel Award. Applications for this year's program, the theme of which is "Dandole Alas a Tu Exito/Giving Flight to Your Success," began in March. More than 400 students from across the nation completed online entries and submitted essays about how the travel award would help them achieve their goal to pursue higher education.

The students were selected after intensive evaluation by a panel of judges comprised of college professors and education advocates from across the country. These awards provide students with roundtrip tickets to be used by them or members of their immediate families for travel among colleges and universities located near any of the 78 airports Southwest Airlines serves.

"On behalf of HACU, we congratulate those students selected as recipients of the Lanzate travel awards," said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. "HACU and Southwest Airlines recognize the importance of family visits, especially for college students living away from their hometown. Lanzate travel awards not only help students stay connected with their loved ones, but also give families a chance to spend time with them to learn more about their higher education experience. HACU is proud to partner with Southwest Airlines on the Lanzate travel awards, now in our eighth year."

With more than 5,000 applicants in the last eight years, "Lanzate/Take Off" has proven to be a successful educational support program that serves underprivileged Hispanic students, providing free travel for them and their families to maximize their potential and create opportunities for growth. To see the complete list of students visit: http://swamedia.com/media_storage/SWA_HACU_Winners_2012.doc and to read a testimonial from one of the students visit:  http://www.blogsouthwest.com/blog/gift-peace-mind

"The Lanzate travel award provides deserving students the opportunity to go back home and enjoy the holidays with their families, or reunite parents with students during their important events like graduations," said Christine Ortega, Southwest Airlines Manager of Community Affairs & Grassroots.  "It takes a strong, committed partner like HACU to create such a successful program.   Together we've created a program that serves as a bridge for success."

ABOUT HACU

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), with national headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, represents approximately 450 colleges and universities, including Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), which collectively serve two-thirds of all Hispanic higher education students in the United States and Puerto Rico.

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 42^nd year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) continues to differentiate itself from other low-fare carriers by providing a reliable product 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.

Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines, one of the most honored airlines in the world, is the nation's largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers boarded.  Southwest currently operates more than 3,200 flights a day and serves the communities around 78 airports in Southwest's network of domestic destinations.  To book a flight, visit southwest.com.

SOURCE Southwest Airlines