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Southwest Airlines Announces 20 Firm Boeing 737-800 Deliveries in 2012

DALLAS, Dec. 15, 2010 —

Today, Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines Chairman, President, and CEO spoke at the Wings Club in New York City and shared additional details on introducing the Boeing 737-800 to the Southwest fleet.

Kelly announced the Company will substitute 20 of its 737-700 orders for -800s, with the first delivery scheduled for March 2012. With both its Pilots’ and Flight Attendants’ Unions ratifying their contracts to add the -800 to their current collective bargaining agreements, the Company is continuing to finalize discussions with the Boeing Company regarding substitutions of the -800s for the -700 positions, and configuration and equipage options.

“The -800 represents many exciting opportunities for our Employees and our Customers,” Kelly said. “We are looking to the future and the -800 sets the stage to bring more destinations into the realm of possibilities for Southwest, to operate a more economical aircraft, and to offer better scheduling flexibility in high-demand, slot-controlled, or gate-restricted markets.”

The current plan is to deliver these 20, 737-800 aircraft in full Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards (ETOPS) configuration. The current configuration also includes the Boeing Company’s Sky Interior that offers a quieter cabin, improved operational security features, and LED reading and ceiling lighting.

After nearly 40 years of service, Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) 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, now serving 69 cities in 35 states. Southwest also 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 3,100 flights a day and has nearly 35,000 Employees systemwide.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements related to Southwest’s plans and expectations regarding the introduction of the Boeing 737-800 to its fleet. These statements are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current intent, expectations, and projections and are not guarantees of future performance. These statements involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that are difficult to predict and that could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed in or indicated by them. Factors include, among others, (i) the impact of fuel prices and economic conditions on the Company’s overall business plan and strategies; (ii) consumer demand for air travel; (iii) actions of competitors, including without limitation pricing, scheduling, and capacity decisions, and consolidation and alliance activities; (iv) the impact of governmental regulations on the Company’s operations; and (v) other factors, as described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the detailed factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009, and under the heading “Forward-looking statements” in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2010, June 30, 2010, and September 30, 2010.

www.southwest.com

SOURCE Southwest Airlines

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    December 28, 2009

    HOUSTON, TEXAS—On Dec. 31, 2009, Continental pilots will see another year pass without a new contract in place. The current concessionary agreement that helped keep Continental out of bankruptcy was signed in April 2005 and became amendable on Dec. 31, 2008. However, the Continental pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), have been negotiating a successor agreement since July 2007, when the union and Continental management agreed to open discussions early. Since that time, the parties have reached tentative agreements on only nine of 32 sections of the contract. Most recently, the union presented a comprehensive proposal to management on Dec. 9, 2009, bringing all remaining sections of the contract to the table, most notably those dealing with economic issues such as pay, work rules and benefits.

    Says Captain Jay Pierce, union leader of the Continental pilots, “When we gave our proposal to management on Dec. 9, it was an important step forward. Everything is now on the table. We are looking forward to seeing how our new CEO, Mr. Jeff Smisek, will assess the value of Continental pilots and the significant contributions we’ve made to help our airline.

    “Our pilots have given over $200M to Continental each year through cuts in pay, benefits and work rules under our current agreement. Our proposal reflects the significant level of sacrifice made by our pilots and their families and the need to rebalance the equation. As we renew our negotiating efforts in 2010, we expect management to recognize the fact that improvements in our contract are long overdue.”

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    Southwest Boeing Bowls Over Denver Concourse Light


    Twitter photo by Hilary Handtmann

    What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 en route from Los Angeles to Denver
    Where: Denver
    When: Jan 30, 2012, 9:45 a.m
    Who: 89 passengers and 5 crew
    Why: After landing from the LA flight, the jet knocked over an airport ramp lightpole around the C concourse.

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    Passengers disembarked on to the tarmac and were bused to the terminal. The NTSB is investigating.

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    Vision Airlines

    $49 FLORIDA FARE SALE ENDS MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2011
    SUWANEE, Ga., Jan. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Vision Airlines, the nation’s newest big jet, low-cost carrier, will end its $49* introductory one-way Florida fare sale on Monday, January 31, 2011 at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time.

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    FAA Press Release: What Pilots Need to Know About Winter Flying

    October 2009 – In the November/December 2009 issue of FAA Aviation News, the focus is on winter flying safety, including icing avoidance strategies, safe operations on icy runways, snow/frost contamination, and more.

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    The Ironic Tragedy of Germanwings Flight 9525

    mountain

    Cockpit door designed to lock trouble out locks in Suicidal Pilot

    Pasadena, CA — (ReleaseWire) — 04/02/2015 — As an advocate (not a lawyer) of fair compensation for the victims of plane crashes, I have been closely following the story behind the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 and the now notorious 27-year-old co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz. As is always the case, a team of expert investigators will dig out the facts to determine the most likely scenario behind the crash. That careful investigation will take a year at the very least. In this Germanwings accident, the one factor that stands out already is the role played by the pilot’s state of mind in what appears now to be his deliberate collision course with the French Alps. It is now common knowledge that the plane disintegrated on impact with the Massif des Trois-Évêchés. Imagine how horrified the families were when the transcript of the CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) was quickly leaked by tabloids. Journalists have been shouldering each other out of the way to get to the front of the line, “scooping” each with another “leaked” nugget. A girlfriend’s interview. A medical report here. A video there. TV commentators and newspapers from CNN and the venerable New York Times to the most scurrilous tabloids are spouting “the facts” faster than investigators can have gotten to the information. Tweeting the news as I do results in loads of source-checking, and plenty of on-going head-scratching moments while weeding out wild supposition masquerading as news in sources one would normally consider impeccable. When one source says “the plane is blue,” another says “the plane is red.” Sometimes I can determine which is the truth, but sometimes I have to leave it to readers to puzzle out.

    I have been working Wrongful Death cases for some forty-seven years now. I am a consultant to attorneys across the globe who represent the families of Wrongful Death victims. Each investigation is exactly the same in terms of the emotional impact of the accident. Devastating. Whether the case may or may not end up in court, whether or not the accident catches the media’s attention, every aspect is always impossibly difficult for the families. Some accidents seem similar because they share a factor, whether it be similar weather conditions, mechanical difficulties, or a particular flaw in a particular model of plane.

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    http://wrongfuldeathconsultants.com

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    FAA Proposes $2.4 Million Civil Penalty Against Cessna Aircraft

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    Cessna has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond.

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