| Southwest Airlines | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| IATA WN |
ICAO SWA |
Callsign SOUTHWEST |
| Founded | 1971 | |
| Focus cities |
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| Frequent flyer program | Rapid Rewards | |
| Fleet size | 539 | |
| Destinations | 65 | |
| Company slogan | A Symbol of Freedom / You Are Now Free to Move About The Country | |
| Headquarters | Dallas, Texas | |
| Key people | Gary C. Kelly (Chairman, CEO and President) Herb Kelleher (Co-Founder) Laura Wright (CFO) Colleen Barrett (Ex-President) |
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| Website: http://www.southwest.com | ||
Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas, with its largest focus city at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport. It is the largest airline in the United States by number of passengers carried domestically per year (as of December 31, 2007).[7][dead link] It is also the 6th largest U.S. airline by revenue.[8] It also maintains the second-largest passenger fleet of aircraft among all of the world's commercial airlines. As of July 12, 2008, Southwest operates approximately 3,500 flights daily.
Southwest Airlines has carried more customers than any other U.S. airline since August 2006 for combined domestic and international passengers according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics.[9] Southwest Airlines is one of the world's most profitable airlines, posting a profit for the 35th consecutive year in January 2008.[10]
Contents |
[edit] History
Southwest Airlines was originally incorporated to serve three cities in Texas as Air Southwest on March 15, 1967, by Rollin King and Herb Kelleher. According to frequently-cited story, King described the concept to Kelleher over dinner by drawing on a paper napkin a triangle symbolizing the routes.(Dallas, Houston, San Antonio)[11]
Some of the incumbent airlines of the time (Braniff, Trans-Texas, and Continental Airlines) initiated legal action, and thus began a three-year legal battle to keep Air Southwest on the ground. Air Southwest eventually prevailed in the Texas Supreme Court, which ultimately upheld Air Southwest's right to fly in Texas.[12] The decision became final on December 7, 1970, when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case without comment.[13] That date is considered by many to be the de facto beginning of deregulation in the airline industry.
The story of Southwest's legal fight was turned into a children's book, Gumwrappers and Goggles by Winifred Barnum in 1983. In the story, TJ Love, a small jet, is taken to court by two larger jets to keep him from their hangar, and then to try and stop him from flying at all. Taken to court, TJ Love's right to fly is upheld after an impassioned plea from The Lawyer. While no company names are mentioned in the book, TJ Love's colors are those of Southwest Airlines, and the two other jets are colored in Braniff and Continental's colors. The Lawyer is designed to resemble Herb Kelleher. The book was adapted into a stage musical, Show your Spirit, sponsored by Southwest Airlines, and played only in towns serviced by the airline.[14]
Southwest Airlines founder Herb Kelleher studied California-based Pacific Southwest Airlines extensively and used many of the airline's ideas to form the corporate culture at Southwest, and even on early flights used the same "Long Legs And Short Nights" theme for stewardesses on board typical Southwest Airlines flights.
The airline adopted the first profit-sharing plan in the U.S. airline industry in 1973. Through this plan and others, employees own about 10 percent of the company stock.
The airline is about 87 percent unionized. The pilots are represented by the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association, a union separate from the much larger Air Line Pilots Association.
[edit] First flights
In early 1971, Air Southwest changed its name to Southwest Airlines, and the first flight was on June 18, 1971. Its first flights were from Love Field in Dallas to Houston and San Antonio,[15] short hops with no-frills service and a simple fare structure, features that became the basis for Southwest's popularity and rapid growth in the coming years.
The start of service in June 1971 was accomplished with three 737-200 aircraft; a fourth was added in September of the same year.
Over time, Southwest has added improved 737 variants but has stayed within the Boeing 737 family to hold down operating costs. Because this technique simplified training, maintenance, and ground operations, it revolutionized the industry's approach to building aircraft fleets.
In January 2005, Southwest retired its last 737-200, the oldest type in its fleet. To celebrate "putting the -200s to bed", selected employees donned Southwest pajamas for an early morning flight to celebrate the final landing at Dallas Love.
[edit] Early losses and financial troubles
The rest of 1971 and 1972 saw operating losses. One of the four aircraft was sold to Frontier Airlines and the proceeds used to make payroll and cover other expenses. Southwest continued to operate a schedule predicated on four aircraft but using only three, and in so doing the "ten minute turn" was born, and was the standard ground time for many years.[16]
Southwest turned its first annual profit in 1973, and has done so every year since — a record unmatched by any other commercial airline.[17][dead link] Southwest has used financial techniques such as fuel hedging to bolster its profitability and counteract many of the fiscal disadvantages of operating an airline.
By 1979 Southwest flew to all of the cities they currently serve in Texas, along with Beaumont. Interstate service began to New Orleans in 1979, and Albuquerque in 1980. Oklahoma City and Tulsa were added shortly thereafter. In 1981 Southwest co-launched the 737-300 with USAir. In 1982 the first expansion beyond the Texas area took Southwest to the West Coast, adding Phoenix, Las Vegas and San Diego. In late 1984 the 737-300 was placed into service. Chicago Midway and St. Louis service began in March 1985, spreading low-fare service into Midwest markets.
Southwest hired its first African-American pilot, Louis Freeman, in 1980. In 1992, he was named the first African-American chief pilot of any major U.S. airline.[18][dead link]
[edit] Fuel cost containment measures
Southwest Airlines earned a reputation for being very aggressive and proactive about containing fuel costs as a key to maintaining profit margins. [19]
[edit] Hedging fuel
Southwest has a longtime program to hedge fuel prices. It has purchased fuel options years in advance to smooth out fluctuations in fuel costs.
In 2000, Southwest said it had "adjusted its hedging strategy" to "utilize financial derivative instruments... when it appears the Company can take advantage of market conditions." Additionally, the company hoped to "take advantage of historically low jet fuel prices." SEC statement Southwest's decision proved to be a prescient and, for a time, an extremely profitable effort.
To lock in the low historical prices Southwest believed were occurring at that time, Southwest used a mixture of swaps and call options to secure fuel in future years while paying prices they believed were low. The company also stated that with this new strategy, it faced substantial risks if the oil prices continued to go down. They did not. Previously, Southwest had been more interested in reducing volatility of oil prices. Now, they hoped to reap large gains from oil price appreciation.
In 2001, Southwest again substantially increased its hedging in response to projections of increased crude oil prices. The use of these hedges helped Southwest maintain its profitability during the oil shocks related to the Iraq War and later Hurricane Katrina.
According to an annual report, here is the company's fuel hedge for forward years ("approximate" per barrel basis, as of mid-January): 2007 is 95% hedged at $50/barrel; 2008 is 65% hedged at $49/barrel; 2009 is over 50% hedged at $51/barrel; 2010 is over 25% hedged at $63/barrel; 2011 is over 15% hedged at $64/barrel; 2012 is 15% hedged at $63/barrel.
According to its 2006 Annual Report, Southwest paid low prices for fuel thanks to the benefit of fuel hedges:
- 2004 - 82.8 cents/gallon
- 2005 - 103.3 cents/gallon
- 2006 - 153.0 cents/gallon
These are well below market rates, which Southwest factors into its low operating costs. However, this below-market oil cost will not continue forever; executives have said that Southwest faces increased exposure to the raw oil market every year. This is not a good sign for the airline, which is also facing tough competition from US legacy carriers that have lowered costs through bankruptcy. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly has decided to slow the airline's growth as a response to this cost.
Some analysts have argued against the style of profit-motivated energy trading Southwest did between 1999 and the early 2000s. They suggested that rather than hedging business risk (such as a hedge on weather to a farmer), Southwest was simply speculating on energy prices, without a formal rationale for doing so.[20]
At present, Southwest has enjoyed much positive press (and a strong financial boost) from its energy trading skills.[21][22][23] However, while most analysts agree that volatility hedges can be beneficial,[24] speculative hedges are not widely supported as a continuing strategy for profits.[25]
In the third quarter of 2008, Southwest recorded its first loss in 17 years due to its fuel-hedging contracts being of lesser-value because of the drop in oil prices.[26][dead link]
[edit] Blended winglets
All of Southwest's 737-700s have blended winglets. Additionally, Southwest began installing blended winglets on up to 90 of its 737-300 aircraft beginning in mid-January 2007, with AAR of Indianapolis, Indiana, accomplishing the work. The first modified aircraft, N368SW, resumed service on February 22, 2007.
[edit] Jet engine pressure-washing
In 2008, Southwest contracted with Pratt and Whitney to supply the proprietary Ecopower water pressure-washing system, which allows Southwest to clean grime and contaminants off engine turbine blades while the aircraft is parked at the gate. Frequent use of the Ecopower system is estimated to improve fuel efficiency for Southwest and other customers by about 1.9%.[27][28]
[edit] Internet presence
On March 16, 1995, Southwest became one of the first airlines to have a web site. Originally called the "Southwest Airlines Home Gate", customers could view schedules, a route map, and company information at http://www.iflyswa.com.[29][dead link] The company later obtained the rights to its current home on the web, http://www.southwest.com, from an unaffiliated business. Southwest consistently rejects syndicating its fares to fare search sites such as expedia.com or orbitz.com.[30]
Southwest.com is the number one airline web site for online revenue, according to PhoCusWright. Nielsen/Netratings also reports that Southwest.com is the largest airline site in terms of unique visitors.[31] In 2006, 70 percent of flight bookings and 73 percent of revenue was generated from bookings on southwest.com. As of June 2007, 69 percent of Southwest passengers checked in for their flights online or at a kiosk.[31]
[edit] Violations of safety requirements
On March 6, 2008, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors submitted documents to the United States Congress, alleging that Southwest allowed 117 of its aircraft to fly carrying passengers despite the fact that the planes were "not airworthy" according to air safety investigators.[32] In some cases the planes were allowed to fly for up to 30 months after the inspection deadlines had passed, rendering them unfit to fly. Records indicate that thousands of passengers were flown on aircraft deemed unsafe by federal standards. Southwest declined comment at the time, and US Representative James Oberstar advised a hearing would be held. [33][34][dead link]
On March 12, 2008, Southwest Airlines voluntarily grounded 44 planes to check if they needed further inspection. Federal Aviation Administration claims that Southwest Airlines flew almost 60,000 flights without fuselage inspection. Southwest Airlines could be facing a $10.2 million fine if they violated FAA regulations. There have also been rumors that the FAA knew about Southwest Airlines violations but decided not to fine the airline because it would disrupt the service of Southwest.[35]
[edit] Lobbying
Southwest has fought against the development of a high-speed rail system in Texas. [36]
[edit] Leadership
Southwest Airlines is headed by Gary C. Kelly. Kelly has served as the airline's CEO since 2004, replacing James F. Parker, who had been the CEO for the last 3 years. Gary C. Kelly was named chairman on May 21, 2008, replacing previous Southwest Airlines CEO and co-founder Herb Kelleher. Kelly also became president of Southwest Airlines earlier this year, replacing Colleen Barrett when her contract expired on July 15, 2008.
[edit] Rapid Turnaround
Southwest Airlines also pioneers a turn around service on the ground keeping its aircraft on the ground for a short twenty minutes to maximize profits.
[edit] Wright Amendment
After the opening of Dallas-Fort Worth Regional Airport, which was the original name of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in 1974, Southwest was the only airline to remain at Love Field.
When airline deregulation came in 1978, Southwest began planning to offer interstate service from Love Field. This caused a number of interest groups affiliated with Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport, including the city of Fort Worth, to push the Wright Amendment through Congress to restrict such flights.[38][dead link] Under the restrictions of the amendment, Southwest, and all other airlines, were barred from operating, or even ticketing passengers on flights from Love Field to destinations beyond the states immediately surrounding Texas. In effect, to travel through Love Field, a passenger and luggage would have to deplane and fly on a separate ticket, on a separate aircraft.
The Wright Amendment's restrictions did not apply to aircraft configured with 56 or fewer seats. In 2000, Legend Airlines attempted to operate long distance business-class flights using older DC-9s with 56 seats, but did not have the resources to survive American's legal and marketing attacks, and quickly ceased operations. Southwest did not use the 56 seat loophole, even with its market strength at Love Field and the availability of more modern regional jets such as the CRJ-700/900 and the Embraer ERJ 145 family.
Southwest's efforts to repeal or even alter the Wright Amendment were met with opposition from American Airlines and Dallas Ft. Worth International Airport. Both American Airlines and DFW contended that repeal of the Wright Amendment restrictions would cripple DFW,[39][dead link] while Southwest contended that repeal of the Wright Amendment would be beneficial to both Love Field and DFW.[17][dead link] Continental Airlines has a successful hub and spoke operation at Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport despite unrestricted competition from Southwest at Houston Hobby Airport.
In 1997, Southwest's effort began to pay off with the Shelby Amendment, which added the states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kansas to the list of permissible destination states. Southwest began offering non-stop service between Dallas Love Field and Birmingham, Alabama, which it could not do prior to the enactment of the Shelby Amendment.
In late 2004, Southwest began actively seeking the full repeal of the Wright Amendment restrictions. In late 2005, Missouri was added to the list of permissible destination states via a transportation appropriations bill. New service from Love Field to St. Louis and Kansas City quickly started in December 2005.
At a June 15, 2006 joint press conference held by the City of Dallas, the City of Ft. Worth, Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines, the said parties announced a tentative agreement on how the Wright Amendment was to be phased out. Both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed Wright-related legislation on September 29, 2006, and it was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 13, 2006. The new law became effective on October 16, 2006, when the FAA Administrator notified Congress that any new aviation operations occurring as a result of the new law could be accommodated without adverse effect to the airspace.
Southwest started selling tickets under the new law on October 19, 2006. Highlights of the agreement are the immediate elimination of through-ticketing prohibitions, and unrestricted flights to domestic destinations eight years after the legislation takes effect. Because of the agreement, nationwide service became possible for Southwest; the law also defined the maximum number of gates at Love Field. Southwest controls all of the Love Field gates except for the two each that American and Continental control. The future of the Legend Airlines terminal for use by commercial airlines is in doubt because of the limit on number of gates.
Southwest remains the dominant passenger airline at Love Field, maintains its headquarters, hangars, and flight simulators adjacent thereto, and reflects its ties to Love Field in its ticker symbol (LUV).
Despite the restrictions on its home base, Southwest proceeded to build a successful business on an unusual model: flying multiple short, quick trips into the secondary (more efficient and less costly) airports of major cities, using primarily only one aircraft type, the Boeing 737.
[edit] Destinations
Southwest Airlines currently flies to 64 destinations throughout the United States. The airline will add its 65th destination in March 2009 when it begins service from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota and it's 66th destination will be in New York at LaGuardia Airport.
As of September 2008, Southwest Airlines operates scheduled services to the following destinations:
[edit] Current service
Southwest does not use the more traditional "hub and spoke" flight routing system of most other major airlines, preferring instead the "Point to Point" system. Currently, Southwest serves 64 cities in 32 states, with more than 3,300 flights a day. It has notably large operations in certain airports. Las Vegas's McCarran International Airport has non-stop service to all but eight of Southwest's locations.[40] Other airports with large Southwest operations include Chicago Midway International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Tampa International Airport and Houston's William P. Hobby Airport, with all of these airports operating non-stop flights to more than half of the Southwest system. An average of 80 percent of Southwest passengers are local passengers, meaning only 20 percent of all passengers are connecting passengers. This is significantly higher than most airlines, where passengers often connect in hub cities.[41][dead link]
As part of its effort to control costs, Southwest tries to use secondary airports which generally have lower costs and may, or may not be, more convenient to travelers than the major airports to the same destinations. For example, Southwest flies to Midway Airport in Chicago, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and West Palm Beach in South Florida, Love Field in Dallas, Hobby Airport in Houston, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in Manchester, New Hampshire and T. F. Green Airport in Providence, Rhode Island, instead of O'Hare International Airport, Miami International Airport, DFW International, IAH Intercontinental in Houston, and Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, respectively. Southwest also serves the New York Metropolitan area at Islip Airport and is planning on entering the Manhattan area directly with 7 flights a day out of La Guardia.
Southwest makes exceptions to the philosophy of serving secondary airports by flying into some larger airports in major cities, such as Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Lambert St. Louis International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Philadelphia International, Denver International Airport, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International and Pittsburgh International. In the Baltimore-Washington market, Southwest has limited flights into one major airport (Washington Dulles International Airport) while maintaining their east-coast focus city at the region's other major airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport. In the Los Angeles market Southwest flies to both the major city airport, Los Angeles International (LAX), and to three of the four secondary airports, Burbank-Bob Hope Airport, John Wayne Airport, and LA/Ontario International Airport (it does not serve Long Beach Airport). With the restoration of service out of San Francisco International Airport on August 26, 2007, Southwest now serves all three airports in the San Francisco Bay Area; the other two being Oakland International Airport and San Jose International Airport.
Southwest withdrew from Houston Intercontinental in favor of using smaller airports with fewer operations nearby. Besides Houston (Intercontinental) and Denver (Stapleton International), the airline has withdrawn completely from airports in Beaumont, Texas and Detroit, Michigan (Detroit City Airport).
The airline also once served Stapleton International Airport in Denver but withdrew in 1986 because of excessive ATC delays during poor weather exacerbated by minimal separation between the runways. Southwest returned to Denver in 2006 with service to the new Denver International Airport. Southwest is expanding its Denver service faster than it has at any previous Southwest city[42] at the cost of service to Orlando, Kansas City and Baltimore.[43]
On March 8, 2009, Southwest Airlines will start operations at Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) with 8 daily flights from the Hubert H. Humphrey Terminal to Chicago Midway International Airport.
Southwest is the largest intrastate airline in California, with 694 flights total in the state, 370 of which are intra-California.
[edit] Markets lacking Southwest service
Due to congestion at certain airports and intense competition from airlines such as Delta, Northwest, Continental and others,[citation needed] some markets are not cost-effective for Southwest. New York City-area flights are serviced from Long Island MacArthur Airport instead of directly through the three main New York-area airports (LaGuardia Airport, Kennedy (JFK) International, or Newark Liberty International). Southwest recently announced that they will be entering La Guardia with plans to overcome the delays and initially operate 7 flights a day. Severe overscheduling of flights at these airports creates rampant flight delays which would hamper Southwest's business model of keeping its planes in service in the air as much as possible. Other large cities without Southwest service include Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Memphis, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis/St. Paul; the latter, however, will finally gain Southwest service in 2009[44] (see "new service" chapter below). Southwest lost codeshare service to Washington-Reagan on November 28, 2007 and also New York-LaGuardia on January 7, 2008, as ATA Airlines discontinued service to those cites. However, plans to restore service to La Guardia in the Summer of 2009 have been announced. Also, CEO Gary Kelly has announced that it is very likely for Southwest to enter a 3rd new airport in late 2009.
Until the aforementioned service begins at Minneapolis/St. Paul, a large void persists in the mid northern part of the US stretching from Wisconsin to Montana/Wyoming and also Alaska. According to the airline's route map, 16 states are currently without Southwest service in their cities.[45]
In 2005, Southwest proposed servicing Seattle using Boeing Field, which is smaller but closer to downtown than Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. However, King County leaders refused to allow a terminal to be built or service to begin.[46]
While other low cost carriers such as AirTran, Frontier, and JetBlue serve international destinations, Southwest does not serve any destinations outside the United States. However, Southwest has not ruled out the possibility of an international market in the future. Mexico, Central America, Canada, and the Caribbean are within the 3,365 nm range of their 737-700 aircraft, as are England and Ireland (a flight from BWI Thurgood Marshall International Airport to London's Heathrow Airport is 3,158 nm), although, on westbound flights from the latter, the aircraft may have to stop for fuel. In July 2007, CEO Gary Kelly stated that because of shrinking profits, the airline will likely slow its rate of expansion.[47]
[edit] Top ten airports
The following airports, as of December 2008, are the top ten most served by Southwest Airlines:[31]
| City | Daily departures | Number of gates | Nonstop cities served | Service established |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas | 238 | 21 | 55 | 1982 |
| Chicago-Midway | 214 | 29 | 47 | 1985 |
| Phoenix | 194 | 24 | 42 | 1982 |
| Baltimore/Washington | 162 | 26 | 38 | 1993 |
| Houston-Hobby | 144 | 17 | 29 | 1972 |
| Dallas-Love Field | 140 | 14 | 15 | 1971 |
| Oakland | 134 | 13 | 21 | 1989 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 127 | 11 | 18 | 1982 |
| Orlando | 106 | 14 | 33 | 1996 |
| San Diego | 108 | 10 | 18 | 1982 |
[edit] New service
Southwest announced that they will be participating in Disney's Magical Express program in Orlando, FL. The program allows passengers to check their bags from their home airport through to their rooms at a Walt Disney World resort.[48][dead link]
Effective March 8, 2009 [49]
- Daily nonstop service between Phoenix, AZ (PHX) and Birmingham, AL (BHM) (+)
- Daily nonstop service between Chicago Midway, IL (MDW) and Minneapolis/St Paul, MN (MSP)
Note: As of October 1, 2008, MDW is the only airport selected to provide nonstop service with MSP.[50]
Effective May 9, 2009
- Daily nonstop service between Denver, CO (DEN) and Tucson, AZ (TUS)
- Daily nonstop service between Nashville, TN (BNA) and Oakland, CA (OAK) (+)
- Daily nonstop service between Nashville, TN (BNA) and Seattle, WA (SEA) (+)
(+) reinstated flights-- see the "discontinued service" section's notes below for details.
Expansion to LaGuardia (LGA)
During November 2008, Southwest applied to purchase 14 slots (for 7 roundtrips daily) previously used by ATA Airlines at LaGuardia Airport.[51] With the bid approved about a month later, Southwest will begin service at some point next year, and is confident about future growth there.[52] New York City is currently served by Southwest only at Long Island MacArthur Airport, some 50 miles from Manhattan;[2] LGA is much closer to that borough, and considered as the most central of the three major New York City-metro airports.
[edit] Discontinued service
Effective January 11, 2009 (+)
- Daily nonstop service between Oakland, CA (OAK) and Nashville, TN (BNA)
- Daily nonstop service between Seattle/Tacoma, WA (SEA) and Nashville, TN (BNA)
- Daily nonstop service between Birmingham, AL (BHM) and Phoenix, AZ (PHX)
Notes:
• Also effective January 11, 2009, Southwest will add 6 daily flights, and cut 196 overall. Such changes are mainly because of high fuel costs, the uncertainty of the economy, and the fact that the beginning months of the year traditionally are slower travel months than those preceding them. Also cutting flights adds more free planes, reducing problems due to harsh weather in the winter months.
• In a continuing effort to optimize the airline's flight schedule, effective May 09, 2009, Southwest will eliminate 32 existing roundtrip flights from its current schedule and will add 19 roundtrip flights for a net reduction of 13 roundtrip flights systemwide. (+)The additions include reinstatements, such as the first two listed directly above; The Birmingham (BHM)/Phoenix(PHX) nonstop flights receive this honor two months earlier (as listed in the "new service" section).[53]
[edit] International service
Prior to ATA's shutdown, Southwest Airlines had set a goal to codeshare with ATA and begin international codeshare services or ticket for international flights in 2009. Destinations served by ATA could have included Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Europe. In 2010, Southwest plans to partner with other carriers for transatlantic and transpacific flights. On July 8, 2008, Southwest announced that it has agreed to a comprehensive codeshare agreement with Canada's second largest carrier WestJet. The terms of the codeshare should be finalized by the end of 2009. Southwest has said that they have interest in flying to international destinations in the future, the Caribbean, Mexico, and England are all within their aircraft's range.[54][55][56]
Southwest also has announced plans to codeshare with Mexico's Volaris with flights starting in 2010. Plans have yet to be unveiled about which airline will be crossing the border.
Plans are continuing for codeshare partners to Hawaii and to the Caribbean. In the distant future, they plan to codeshare to Europe and Asia.
[edit] Southwest Airlines Vacations
In 1989, Southwest Airlines and The Mark Travel Corporation entered into an exclusive agreement which gave customers an option to purchase complete vacation packages called Southwest Airlines Vacations. These vacation packages continue to include roundtrip air fare via Southwest Airlines, hotel accommoda