Southwest Airlines Opens New San Antonio Call Center Creating More Than 300 Local Jobs

SAN ANTONIO, June 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) officially opened its new Customer Support and Services (CS&S) Center in the City of San Antonio.  The new Center, located at Interstate 35 and O'Connor, replaces the old facility located at Medical Drive, where Southwest Airlines' Employees provided service to Customers for more than 30 years. This new location will provide Southwest's Employees with more than 60,000 square feet of floor space with options to extend over time.

"Southwest Airlines' commitment to the City of San Antonio grows stronger every day.  We recently announced new service from San Antonio to Mexico City on our subsidiary AirTran Airways, and now we are expanding our roots with a new Customer Support and Services Center," said Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines' Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer. "For more than 30 years, Southwest has served San Antonians by creating jobs and providing the best Customer Service in the industry.  San Antonio has served Southwest as well, by providing us one of the best workforces in the country both at and off airport."

While handling more than 60 million calls a year, the CS&S Department provides Positively Outrageous Service to Customers who call (800) I-FLY-SWA. Additional Southwest centers are located in Albuquerque, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, and Oklahoma City.

"The City of San Antonio congratulates Southwest Airlines for its new facility and for creating jobs during tough times.  We are proud to be part of this expansion and know that this is only the beginning of more growth for this company," said Mayor Julian Castro.  "We are thrilled that Southwest Airlines wants to continue to be a part of our community and will establish their largest Customer Support and Services Center in San Antonio."

"San Antonio is great place to expand and grow.  This is a great milestone and the City of San Antonio is proud to host Southwest Airlines' largest customer service center in the nation.  This development will retain 478 jobs and bring 322 new jobs to the area.  The new customer service center will serve as a catalyst for economic growth, job creation and revitalization in this part of the city," added City Manager Sheryl Sculley.

Southwest Airlines began service to San Antonio on June 18, 1971, with six daily nonstop departures to Dallas Love Field. The airline currently operates 49 daily nonstop flights to 14 destinations from San Antonio with additional direct or connecting service to other destinations including Baltimore/Washington International, Denver, El Paso, Harlingen/South Padre Island, Houston (Hobby), Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego and Tampa Bay.  Southwest opened the San Antonio Reservations Center in 1981 and currently operates six CS&S Call Centers nationwide.  As a wholly-owned subsidiary, AirTran Airways also operates three Reservations Centers in Savannah, Carrollton, and Atlanta, Georgia.  

A Model City for all America: San Antonio

San Antonio is a model city for the new face of America—a diverse, progressive and globally competitive city with a solid vision for national and international economic development. The City of San Antonio maintains a strong financial position with a "AAA" general obligation bond rating from all three major rating agencies.  The Milken Institute has ranked San Antonio No. 1 on its Best-Performing Cities list.  As the seventh-largest city in the United States, San Antonio is experiencing solid economic growth in 21st century industries such as bioscience and healthcare.  Biotech companies and healthcare systems in San Antonio contribute billions to the local economy. The Aerospace industry remains a dominant economic strength in San Antonio with the presence of several aviation and aerospace corporations, including the military.  The military has had a significant relationship with San Antonio for more than 200 years and is home to several military commands.  The city is also a cybersecurity hub; nationally recognized as a leader in the field of information security.  San Antonio is positioning itself to be at the forefront of the New Energy Economy in the United States, committed to investing and creating employment opportunities in green industries.  The travel industry also remains a consistent growing economy for the city, as millions of people visit San Antonio on a yearly basis.  For more information, visit www.sanantonio.gov.

About Southwest Airlines

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. Based in Dallas, Southwest Airlines currently operates more than 3,300 flights a day systemwide.

www.southwest.com

SOURCE Southwest Airlines