Southwest Airlines Launches Service from Raleigh-Durham International Airport

In the spirit of Kitty Hawk, Southwest Airlines today celebrated its new service from Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Southwest began the new service June 6 with 12 daily nonstop flights to five cities: four daily flights to Baltimore/Washington International Airport, four daily flights to Nashville, two daily flights to Chicago's Midway Airport, one daily flight to Tampa Bay, and one daily flight to Orlando. The airline also offers direct or connecting service to 28 other cities across the country.

"The Wright Brothers first achieved their dream of flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina," said Dave Ridley, Southwest's vice president of ground operations. "Today, with Southwest's low fares and frequent service, dreams of flight become reality for travelers at Raleigh-Durham International Airport."

The nation's leading low-fare carrier, Southwest Airlines brings long-awaited discount fares to travelers in the communities surrounding Raleigh-Durham International Airport. For example, Southwest offers a $65 one way unrestricted fare between Raleigh-Durham International Airport and Baltimore/Washington. Prior to Southwest's service announcement, area residents were paying as much as $684 each way for the same flight. In addition to low fares on its nonstop flights, Southwest also offers significant savings on its direct or connecting flights. For Customers traveling to such longhaul destinations as Los Angeles, San Diego, the Bay Area, or Seattle, the walk up fare will be no greater than $299 each way. Fares do not include a segment fee of up to $2.25 each way and airport taxes of up to $6 each way.

Local dignitaries assisted Ridley in launching Southwest's service with a giant paper airplane toss. The celebration continued when Southwest's "Spirit of Kitty Hawk*" aircraft arrived to a spectacular water arch. To round out the festivities, members of the local Boys and Girls Clubs, winners of the Southwest Airlines Sky's The Limit Model Airplane Contest, flew on the inaugural flight to Nashville. Southwest Airlines treated them to a "flying adventure" to visit the home of President Andrew Jackson.

Southwest Airlines is the fourth largest domestic carrier in terms of Customers boarded. With the addition of service to Raleigh-Durham International Airport, Southwest serves 54 cities in 28 states with more than 2,400 daily flights.

Southwest Airlines, which currently employs more than 28,000 workers, has been included in FORTUNE magazine’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work for in America two years in a row.

www.southwest.com

* Southwest's "Spirit of Kitty Hawk" aircraft was christened on December 17, 1984, eighty-one years to the day, after the Wright Brothers’ historic flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. The aircraft was the first of Southwest's Boeing 737-300 fleet.