Southwest Airlines Recognizes Gay Pride Month And The Airline's Ongoing Commitment To The LGBT Community

DALLAS, June 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) proudly shows its dedication to the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) community through the recognition of Gay Pride Month in June and by ongoing organizational support all throughout the year.

"At Southwest Airlines, we are proud to partner with national and local LGBT-focused organizations that positively impact the communities we serve. Together, we focus on diversity and inclusion in all of our communities, and we champion the causes that matter most to our Customers and Employees," said Ellen Torbert, Southwest Airlines' Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion.  "Gay Pride Month is a great time for us to show our continued commitment to the LGBT community, but Southwest Airlines is proud to engage with and give back to the LGBT community all throughout the year."

Activities include:

June 13 | Coffee & Conversation in Recognition of Gay Pride Month, Dallas
Southwest Airlines Employees were invited to attend Coffee & Conversation to hear from Southwest Employees and Leaders: Bill Owen, Senior Business Consultant of Network Planning, and Teresa Laraba, Senior Vice President of Customers.  This event, held at the Company's Headquarters, gave Employees the opportunity to engage in conversation about Southwest's diversity and inclusion efforts.  Visit NUTS About Southwest to learn more.

July 30 - Aug. 2 | National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) 2013 National Business & Leadership Conference, Dallas
Southwest proudly sponsors the Tenth Annual NGLCC National Business & Leadership Conference, which will offer robust programming designed to meet the interests and needs of the NGLCC's corporate partners, LGBT-certified business owners and entrepreneurs, allied companies, and NGLCC affiliate chambers from around the country. 

Aug. 1 | Southwest Airlines' Fourth Annual Award-Winning Diversity Summit, Dallas
Southwest Airlines will bring together Executives from North Texas Fortune 500 companies during its fourth annual award-winning Diversity Summit to focus on diversity and inclusion initiatives, foster new opportunities, and explore best practices.

Aug. 1 - 4 | Gay-Straight Alliance National Gathering, Denver
Southwest Airlines is proud to sponsor the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) National Gathering. Supporters nationwide will come together to support the GSA movement and explore ways expand it to include even more states, cities, and towns.

Oct. 17 - 19 | Reaching Out MBA National Conference, New Orleans
Southwest Airlines proudly supports Reaching Out, the annual conference of LGBT graduate business school students. This year, 1,000 students, business leaders, and recruiters will gather in New Orleans to learn from a dynamic line-up of industry speakers, workshops, and panelists representing all sectors of the business community, from finance and entrepreneurship to non-profits and the arts.

Jan. 29 - Feb. 2, 2014 | Gay and Lesbian Task Force National Conference on LGBT Equality, Houston
The 26th National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change brings together more than 3,500 people from all over the country every year.  Members of the LGBT community and their allies will join together for a five-day program that features more than 350 workshops and training sessions, four plenary sessions, and networking opportunities.

Since Southwest's beginnings more than 42 years ago, the LUV airline has always approached business differently—instituting the ten-minute turn, democratizing the skies with affordable air travel, delivering Legendary Customer Service—the list goes on and on. One thing that has remained constant since Southwest took to the skies four decades ago is doing the right thing, and it always comes From the Heart.  To learn more about how Southwest gives back to the LGBT community, visit www.southwest.com/gaytravel.

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 43^rd year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) continues to differentiate itself from other carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by nearly 46,000 Employees to more than 100 million Customers annually.  Southwest is the nation's largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers boarded, and including wholly-owned subsidiary, AirTran Airways, 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. Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world, known for its triple bottom line approach that takes into account the carrier's performance and productivity, the importance of its People and the communities it serves, and its commitment to efficiency and the planet.  The 2012 Southwest Airlines One Report™ can be found at southwest.com/citizenship.

www.southwest.com

SOURCE Southwest Airlines