Southwest Airlines Announces Holiday Twitter Contest

DALLAS, Dec. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As the song goes, for 12 days in December, your "true love" is supposed to give you gifts. Well, this year, Southwest Airlines could be your "true LUV," except we aren't giving away Turtle Doves or French Hens. We're giving away one $1,000 southwestgiftcard® each day for 12 days in December with our "12 Days of LUV" contest sponsored by our friends at Visa®.

Beginning today, the Southwest Airlines Twitter account (@southwestair) will ask each day for a FUN holiday photo over the next 12 days. Each day has a theme, which will be announced at some point during the day, so be prepared to get crafty and creative! To be included in the contest, Twitterers must include the #12daysofluv hashtag and the requested original photo in their tweet. The Twitterer with the best photo each day will win a $1,000 southwestgiftcard®. Each daily tweet will announce the photo theme for the day, and Twitter followers won't want to miss this!

Through active participation and engagement with online consumers, the airline has amassed more than a million Twitter followers. To see more details about the "12 Days of LUV" contest, visit: www.southwest.com/12daysofluv

After nearly 40 years of service, Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) 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.  Beginning March 13, 2011, Southwest will initiate service in Charleston and Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina, and on March 27, 2011, service will begin to Newark Liberty International Airport. 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 is doing its part to be a good citizen, visit southwest.com/cares to read the One Report.  Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,100 flights a day and has nearly 35,000 Employees systemwide.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.  A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING.  VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

1.   How to Enter the Contest

a.    Southwest Airlines "12 Days of LUV" ("Contest") will begin on or around 10 a.m. CST on Friday, December 10, 2010 and will end on or around 4 p.m. CST on Tuesday, December 21, 2010. 

b.    Southwest Airlines is not responsible for lost, stolen, mangled, miss-delivered, postage due, illegible, incomplete or late entries, telephone service outages, delays, busy signals, equipment malfunctions and any other technological difficulties that may prevent an individual from entering.

c.    To participate in the Contest, you may enter via the following method:

Submit a funny photo highlighting a memorable holiday moment via Southwest Airlines Twitter account @SouthwestAir using the hashtag "#12daysofluv." All entries submitted become the sole property of Southwest Airlines and will not be acknowledged or returned.  Use of any device to automate entry is prohibited.  Proof of submission of an entry shall not be deemed proof of receipt by Southwest.  Southwest Airlines computer is the official time keeping device for the contest.  Southwest is not responsible for entries not received due to difficulty accessing the internet, service outage or delays, computer difficulties or other technological glitches. 

d.    One internet entry per person and one entry per twitter account is permitted per day.

2.   Eligibility Restrictions

a.    The contest is open to all legal residents of the 48 contiguous United States who are 18 years of age or older as of December 10, 2010.   Void in Puerto Rico and where prohibited or restricted by law.  The contest is open to legal residents of the United States and is offered only in the United States.  Employees of Visa, Southwest Airlines, the independent judging entity and the members of their immediate families and/or households are ineligible to enter or win.  The contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

b.    Only one winner per household is permitted in any Contest administered by Southwest.

c.    Entrants are required to provide truthful information and Southwest will reject and delete any entry that it discovers to be false or fraudulent.  Southwest Airlines will disqualify any entry from individuals who do not meet the eligibility requirements, and Southwest Airlines will also delete any entry received from persons under the age of 13 in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

3.   Prizes:

a.   One (1) Prize to be given daily for 12 consecutive days: The daily winner will receive one $1000 southwestgiftcard to be redeemed for travel on Southwest Airlines.  (Total Retail Value: $12,000, which $1000 is to be given away daily)  Certain travel restrictions may apply, and the terms and conditions of the southwestgiftcard apply.   No prize substitutions, cash equivalent, or transfer of prizes permitted except at the sole discretion of the Contest Entities. Prize subject to availability and the Contest Entities reserve the right, at their sole discretion, to award a prize of greater or equal value if the advertised prize is unavailable.  Taxes are solely the responsibility of the winner.  

b.    In the event that a prize or prize certificate is mailed to the winner, it will be with the prior written consent of the winner and therefore, winner assumes the risk of its loss.  Southwest Airlines is not responsible for the safe arrival of a prize or prize certificate.

4.   Selection of Winners

Decisions of judges with respect to the Contest are final.  This is a contest of skill. Your chances of winning depend on how well your entry reflects the judging criteria, as compared to the other entries in the contest.

The judges will be judging on the following qualities:

• Creativity and Originality: 20%
• Entertaining: 25%
• Southwest Appeal: 35% photo should reflect our Culture and Fun-LUVing Attitude.
• Rules: 20% Read and complied with the official rules.

a.    The top "12 Days of LUV" submission per day will be selected by an independent panel of judges. You need not be present to win.

b.    Winners must execute and return any required affidavit of eligibility and/or liability/publicity release within one (1) day of notification attempt or prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner may be chosen. If a potential winner cannot be contacted, fails to sign and return the required affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release within the required time period, or if a prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize.  Winner notification will be made daily via our social channels.  Affidavits will be mailed/emailed based on the winners' preference beginning January 3rd 2011.  And upon timely completion of required affidavits and release, winners should expect to receive their prizes in the mail by January 31, 2011.

5.   Conditions

a.    Payments of all federal, state and local taxes are solely the responsibility of the winners.  Winners may be required to sign an IRS Form W-9 or the equivalent.

b.    By participating in the contest, the winner or winners agree to have their name, voice, or likeness used in any advertising or broadcasting material relating to this contest without additional financial or other compensation unless prohibited by law, and, where legal, to sign a publicity release confirming such consent prior to acceptance of the prize.

c.    Prior to awarding any prize or prize certificate, Southwest Airlines in its sole discretion may require contest winners (and their travel companions, if any) to sign a publicity release, where allowed, and a liability release, agreeing to hold Sponsor, Southwest Airlines, their corporate licensee, and each of their parent, subsidiary and affiliated corporations, and the officers, shareholders, directors, employees, agents and representatives of each of them harmless against any and all claims or liability arising directly or indirectly from the prize or participation in the Contest.

d.    Southwest Airlines, in is sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any person tampering with the entry process, the operation of Southwest Airlines website or is otherwise in violation of the rules.  It further reserves the right to cancel, terminate or modify the contest if it is not capable of completion as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention or technical failures of any sort.

e.    The Contest Entities reserve the right to make changes in the rules of the Contest, including the substitution of a prize or equivalent value, which will become effective upon announcement. 

f.     Failure to comply with the Contest rules may result in a contestant's disqualification solely at the discretion of the Administrator and/or judges.

g.    The Administrator is not responsible for typographical or other errors in the printing, the offering or the administration of the Contest, or in the announcement of a prize.

h.    Copies of the written Contest rules and a list of winners (when complete) are available during regular business hours at Southwest Airlines, Emerging Media P.O. Box 36611, Dallas, TX 75235-1611.  For a winners list, send a self-addressed stamped return envelope, after January 4, 2011.  All requests must be received by January 19, 2011.  Vermont and Washington residents may omit return postage.

6. Sponsor/Administrator:   Sponsor and Administrator is Southwest Airlines Co., Emerging Media, P.O. Box 36611, Dallas, TX 75235-1611.  Visa and its client Financial Institutions have not sponsored or offered this promotion in any way.

www.southwest.com

SOURCE Southwest Airlines