Southwest Airlines' Low Fares Make Flying A Great Alternative To Driving

These days, driving can cost almost the same as flying. While gas prices are expected to decline somewhat in the coming months, fuel costs this summer will still be approximately 25 percent higher than last, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). With Southwest Airlines' low fares across the nation, however, leaving the car at home becomes the sensible thing to do -- especially when the additional time and hassles of driving are taken into account.

A comparison of driving costs with Southwest Airlines' airfares over several routes quickly reveals the advantages of flying. For example, flying from Los Angeles to Oakland (San Francisco) on Southwest Airlines costs as little as $56 each way and takes just over one hour; driving the same route would cost approximately $38 in gas each way* and take almost six hours! And if you're driving an SUV, it's even more practical to fly: many SUVs run only 15mpg on the highway, so the same trip would cost over $50 in gas each way.

Southwest Airlines is one of the few U.S. airlines which has not passed rising fuel costs on to passengers through fuel surcharges. Southwest's fares have not changed since January 2000.

See the chart below for more details and additional flying versus driving cost comparisons on Southwest Airlines' routes.

* based on a standard car with 20mpg highway driving and gas price of $2.00 per gallon

** based on an SUV with 15mpg highway driving and gas price of $2.00 per gallon

And if the cost and time savings are not enough to make you leave the car in the garage and head to the airport, here are a few more reasons you might prefer to fly with Southwest rather than drive on your next trip:

1. No stop lights at 30,000 feet;
2. Kids don't have enough time to ask, "Are we there yet?";
3. No blown tires or overheated radiator;
4. Free refreshments and snacks;
5. Bathrooms whenever you need them.

Southwest Airlines fares listed are seven-day advance purchase for roundtrip travel. Seats are limited and won't be available on some flights that operate during very busy travel times and holiday periods. While tickets are nonrefundable, they may, if unused, be applied toward the purchase of future travel on Southwest Airlines. Fares are subject to change until ticketed, and do not include a segment fee of $2.50 each way and airport taxes of up to $12 roundtrip.

Southwest Airlines is the only major shorthaul, low-fare, high-frequency, point-to-point carrier in the U.S. The fourth largest domestic U.S. air carrier in terms of passengers boarded, Southwest currently serves 56 cities in 29 states and operates more than 2,500 flights a day with a fleet of 313 Boeing 737s. For more information, log on to www.southwest.com.

• This release, as well as past news releases on Southwest, are available online at www.southwest.com. News media also can access an online press room via southwest.com--just go to About SWA and Media Relations to sign up for a user name and password.