Southwest Airlines® Launches The 'Southwest Porch at Strauss Square' in Partnership with Dallas' AT&T Performing Arts Center

DALLAS, Sept. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) launched the Southwest Porch at Strauss Square, a new outdoor lounge that will provide visitors to Dallas' AT&T Performing Arts Center with a relaxing spot to enjoy performances at Annette Strauss Square.  On the west side of Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, the Southwest Porch at Strauss Square will officially welcome guests beginning with tonight's Citizen Cope concert and will be open during every performance at Strauss Square and during special events at the Winspear Opera House. In addition to comfortable lounge seating with a great view, the Southwest Porch at Strauss Square will offer free ping pong, free WiFi, unique outdoor cuisine from Wolfgang Puck's onsite grill, specialty cocktails created by Wolfgang Puck, and a signature Southwest Brew, Franconia Wheat, created by Franconia Brewing Company of McKinney, TX.  To view photos of the Porch and to read more about it, visit:  www.blogsouthwest.com.   

"We're proud to bring Dallas a relaxing outdoor venue to showcase our legendary Southwest Customer Service and warm hospitality," said Linda Rutherford, Southwest's Vice President of Communication and Strategic Outreach.  "Our commitment to our hometown extends beyond the airport and into the community, and the Southwest Porch at Strauss Square gives us one more way to reach our North Texas Customers where they work and live."      

"There is nothing better than enjoying a concert under the stars with the city's skyline as a backdrop," said Douglas T. Curtis, Acting President and CEO of the Center. "The Southwest Porch simply adds to that magic at Strauss Square. We know our guests will be just as excited about it as we are."

To celebrate the grand opening of the Porch, Southwest Airlines representatives will be at the Citizen Cope concert with give-aways and a Twitter contest that will result in a lucky fan winning two tickets anywhere Southwest flies.    

The Southwest Porch at Strauss Square is the third "Porch" in the airline's "fleet" of outdoor venues.  In June 2009, Southwest opened the Southwest Porch at Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan to celebrate the carrier's inaugural service into New York's LaGuardia airport. Denver's Southwest Porch at Skyline Park opened in September 2010 and has morphed into a seasonal operation called the Southwest Rink at Skyline Park.  The New York City and Denver efforts have resulted in such success that Southwest decided to bring the experience to its Dallas home base. 

Southwest Airlines began service to Dallas Love Field on June 18, 1971, with nine daily nonstop departures to two destinations: Houston and San Antonio.  The airline currently operates 128 daily nonstop flights to 15 destinations from Dallas.  Southwest also is actively engaged in the community through sponsorships of the Texas Rangers, Red River Rivalry, Kidd's Kids, Ronald McDonald House, and many other North Texas organizations. 

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 withexemplary Customer Service.  Including wholly owned subsidiary AirTran Airways, the Company now serves 97 destinations in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, six near-International countries, and employs more than 46,000 People. 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 76 airports in Southwest's network of domestic destinations.  To book a flight, visit southwest.com.

AirTran Airways

AirTran Airways, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines Co., has been ranked the top airline in the Airline Quality Rating study three times in the past five years. AirTran offers coast-to-coast and near-International service with nearly 700 flights a day on North America's newest all-Boeing fleet. The airline's low-cost, high-quality product also includes assigned seating and Business Class. To book a flight, visit airtran.com.

ABOUT AT&T PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

The AT&T Performing Arts Center is a nonprofit foundation that operates and programs three premier performance venues and a 10-acre park for music, opera, theatre and dance in the heart of downtown Dallas. The Center also makes performance art accessible to local students through its education program, Open Stages. Opened in October 2009, the Center helped complete the 30-year vision of the Dallas Arts District. The Center includes:

• The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, designed by Foster + Partners of London in a modern horseshoe configuration, seats 2,200. Its acoustics are considered among the best in the world.
• The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre designed by REX/OMA, Joshua Prince-Ramus (partner in charge) and Rem Koolhaas, seats up to 575 and uses a super-fly system to change rapidly the performance hall's configuration to proscenium, thrust or flat floor.
• The Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park, designed by Michel Desvigne, is a lush urban park that unifies the Center's venues.
• Annette Strauss Square, designed by Foster + Partners, is the Center's outdoor entertainment venue.
• Two underground parking areas accommodate more than 850 vehicles.

The Center's Resident Companies are:  The Dallas Opera, Dallas Theater Center, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Texas Ballet Theater and Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico. The Center also has a partnership with TITAS, the premier performing arts presenter in Dallas. 

More information on the AT&T Performing Arts Center is available at www.attpac.org.

www.southwest.com

SOURCE Southwest Airlines