Southwest Airlines Will Begin Service to Akron-Canton, Dayton, and Des Moines Beginning Fall 2012

DALLAS, April 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) and its wholly owned subsidiary AirTran Airways announced today revisions to upcoming summer and fall flight schedules that will provide the opportunity for Southwest Airlines to begin service to Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) and Dayton International Airport (DAY) beginning Aug. 12, 2012. Southwest's schedule in Akron-Canton will offer two daily roundtrip flights to Southwest's sizable operation at Chicago Midway and also Denver, with one daily roundtrip flight. Likewise, the airline will begin service to Dayton with one daily flight to Denver. Southwest's service in both markets will complement AirTran's existing service in these cities. AirTran's service will continue, and the airlines will jointly determine the best time to convert all AirTran's flying to Southwest.

Southwest Airlines also announced it will transition AirTran's operation in Des Moines International Airport (DSM) to a Southwest operation with Southwest assuming all flying at the airport.  Beginning Sept. 30, 2012, Southwest will operate two roundtrip flights between Des Moines and Chicago Midway.

Southwest Airlines chose to begin service to CAK, DSM, and DAY to allow these markets to realize the benefits of the Southwest network, connecting them to large Southwest operations such as Chicago Midway and Denver.

"Southwest Airlines is thrilled to begin service to three markets that have for years desired to see canyon blue planes touch down on their runways," said Southwest Airlines Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer and AirTran Airways President Bob Jordan. "Southwest will continue to serve these markets with exceptional Customer Service at a great value, with access to the broad Southwest network of destinations."

In January, Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways confirmed plans for Southwest to continue operations at 22 AirTran markets where Southwest Airlines does not currently operate. In addition to DAY, CAK, and DSM, the markets that will eventually join the Southwest route map include:  Flint, Mich. (FNT); Rochester, N.Y. (ROC); Pensacola, Fla. (PNS); Charlotte, N.C. (CLT); Richmond, Va. (RIC); Key West, Fla. (EYW); Washington, D.C. (DCA); Memphis, Tenn. (MEM); Wichita, Kan. (ICT); Branson, Mo. (BKG); Portland, Maine (PWM); Grand Rapids, Mich. (GRR); Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (PUJ); Cancun, Mexico (CUN); Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ); Aruba (AUA); San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU); Bermuda (BDA); and Nassau, Bahamas (NAS).  The airline will continue to make announcements over the next several years as it solidifies plans for these additional cities subject to labor negotiations.

Additionally, Southwest Airlines announced today it will begin new seasonal flying between St. Louis and Panama City Beach as well as between Portland, Ore., and Austin with one daily roundtrip each beginning June 3, 2012. Effective the same day, the airline also will add an additional seasonal roundtrip each on routes between Boston and St. Louis and between Dallas and Austin. Finally, AirTran's new schedule includes additional frequencies out of Atlanta to markets such as Baltimore/Washington, Houston Hobby, Chicago Midway, Denver, and Los Angeles.

Southwest and AirTran are making the changes to continue aligning the two networks following Southwest's acquisition of AirTran in May 2011. The airline saw opportunities throughout the summer schedule to utilize aircraft time and make adjustments to both flight schedules. To read more about the schedule updates, please visit www.blogsouthwest.com. To book flights, please visit: www.southwest.com or www.airtran.com.

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. Southwest serves 73 cities in 38 states and 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 Southwest Airlines One Report(TM). Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,200 flights a day and has more than 37,000 Employees systemwide.

About AirTran Airways
AirTran Airways, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines Co., has been ranked the top airline in the Airline Quality Rating study twice in the past four years. AirTran offers Gogo Inflight Internet Connectivity and coast-to-coast service 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.

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SOURCE Southwest Airlines