Southwest Airlines Celebrates One Year in South Carolina

DALLAS, March 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- One year ago today, Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) brought its big planes and little fares to Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP) and Charleston (CHS) to serve the Palmetto State with seven daily nonstop departures from each airport.  To mark Southwest's first year of welcoming Customers onboard to/from the Upstate and Lowcountry communities, the carrier is hosting a day-long anniversary party in Gates A3 and A4 in Greenville-Spartanburg's main terminal today and in Gate B5 in Charleston's main terminal tomorrow, March 14. Employees and Customers will have the opportunity to enjoy food, FUN, games, and music.

"For years, Customers have requested that Southwest bring our low fares and our Legendary Customer Service to Greenville-Spartanburg, and we couldn't be more excited about the response from the Upstate community to choose our canyon blues as their hometown carrier," said Southwest Airlines Greenville-Spartanburg Station Leader Brian Williams.  "We are pleased with the bookings coming in for Greenville-Spartanburg since we began service a year ago, and we have not only the Upstate community to thank for that, but our Employees who are dedicated to serving our Customers with a smile every day."

"Southwest Airlines' solid performance in Charleston is a reflection of the great community we serve who has embraced our People, our Bags Fly Free policy, and our low fares," said Southwest Airlines Charleston Station Leader Grady Glover. "Southwest is committed to providing the Lowcountry with outstanding Customer Service and convenient flight schedules."

Southwest is pleased with the performance of two of its newest cities on the route map.  People from the Upstate and Lowcountry are booking trips to each of the nonstop destinations including Baltimore/Washington, Chicago Midway, Nashville, Houston, and Orlando (Greenville-Spartanburg service only), but also all across the country to places like Phoenix, Denver, Boston, and Las Vegas.

"It's hard to believe that it's been a year since we welcomed Southwest Airlines into Upstate South Carolina and to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport," said David N. Edwards, Jr., A.A.E., Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District President and CEO.  "Our success has been undeniable.  We are extremely proud to call Southwest Airlines a partner, and we look forward to many more years of excellent service and continued growth."

"The 'Southwest Effect' has been great for Charleston International Airport, the Lowcountry, and South Carolina," said Susan M. Stevens, A.A.E., Director of Airports for the Charleston County Aviation Authority.  "In the year since Southwest started service, our passenger traffic has increased year-to-date by 28 percent.  Southwest has offered our passengers service to four nonstop destinations with competitive fares."

To commemorate the first anniversary, Southwest Employees in Greenville-Spartanburg Shared the Spirit and showed Southwest's deep roots in the Upstate community by volunteering to plant trees at the Freetown Community Center.  Employees also visited the memorial tree planted at the airport entrance in honor of the late Mr. Roger Milliken who was the airport's only chairman from its inception in 1959 until his passing in 2010. Southwest Employees in Charleston displayed their Servants' Hearts by volunteering at the Lowcountry Food Bank to mark the first year of service.  The airline's Employees proudly Share the Spirit through volunteering in the communities where they work and live.

About Southwest Airlines
After achieving its 39th consecutive year of profitability, 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 and has acquired AirTran Airways, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines Co. Southwest serves 73 cities in 38 states and remains 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/citizenship to read the Southwest Airlines One Report™. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,200 flights a day and has more than 37,000 Employees systemwide.

- www.southwest.com –

SOURCE Southwest Airlines