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Southwest Airlines to Expand Codeshare Agreement with ATA Airlines to Include DFW Airport

Dallas, TX (PRWEB via PR Web Direct) December 15, 2005 -- Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) announced today it will expand its current ATA Airlines codeshare agreement to include ATA flights from DFW Airport to Chicago Midway Airport.


    
Southwest Customers will be able to book transportation on ATA's three daily nonstop flights from DFW to many destinations in the Southwest system via Chicago Midway Airport with a single ticketing option and through either airline.
    
"We are excited to expand ours and ATA's North Texas presence and offer travelers Southwest's legendary low fares," said Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines CEO. "Southwest itself will continue to exclusively serve our Dallas Love Field home, but the expansion of our codeshare agreement with ATA Airlines to DFW gives our Customers access to many Southwest destinations available from Chicago Midway Airport."
    
Southwest plans to make this service available for sale on Jan. 3, 2006, and the new codeshare flights will begin Jan. 11, 2006. Flights can be booked via southwest.com or through Southwest Airlines reservations at
1-800-I-FLY-SWA. When the service begins, a range of fares will be available, from very low advance purchase fares to unrestricted walkup fares.
    
From Chicago Midway, travelers will have the option of connecting to many of Southwest's 42 nonstop destinations such as: Albany, Baltimore/Washington, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Hartford/Springfield, Indianapolis, Long Island/Islip, Louisville, Manchester, Norfolk, Omaha, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, and Raleigh/Durham. Chicago Midway, with 196 daily nonstop departures, is tied as Southwest's second busiest airport in terms of daily departures.
    
"Southwest still has no interest in splitting our operation between Dallas Love Field and DFW Airport," Kelly said. "We will continue our efforts to repeal the anti-consumer, anti-competitive Wright Amendment, which restricts our Love Field service. Given the success Southwest has had with the ATA codeshare agreement in other cities, along with the route restructuring underway at ATA, and the progress we've made in repealing the Wright Amendment, it now makes sense to add DFW Airport to our list of codeshare cities. With the high fares prevailing at DFW Airport, I know our travelers will be delighted with this new, low-fare service."
    
The codeshare means that Southwest and ATA Airlines will exchange passengers and their checked baggage at Chicago Midway Airport.
    
Southwest Airlines started the codeshare service with ATA Airlines in February 2005 by first offering connecting service in Chicago. That relationship was further expanded to include codeshare service through Phoenix and Las Vegas. Via the codeshare agreement, destinations such as Honolulu, Maui, New York's LaGuardia Airport, and Washington, D.C.'s Reagan National Airport are available to Southwest Customers.
    
This week, Southwest began new nonstop service out of Dallas Love Field -- the first new nonstops from Dallas in 25 years -- to Kansas City and to St. Louis, with fares starting as low as $79 one-way (*see fare rules). For more information on how travelers can help in the fight to repeal the Wright Amendment, visit http://www.setlovefree.com .

Southwest Airlines, the nation's largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers enplaned, currently serves 61 cities in 31 states. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates nearly 3,000 flights a day and has 31,000+ Employees systemwide.

*Fare rules: Fares are available one-way with 14-day advance purchase. Seats are limited. Fares may vary by destination and day of travel. Fares do not include a federal segment tax of up to $3.30 per takeoff and landing. Fares do not include airport-assessed passenger facility charges (PFCs) of up to $9 one-way and U.S. government-imposed September 11th Security Fees of up to $5 one-way. Fares are subject to change until ticketed. Tickets are nonrefundable but may be applied toward the purchase of future travel on Southwest Airlines. Fares are valid on Southwest-operated published, scheduled service only and are not available through the Group Desk. Any change in itinerary may result in an increase in fare.

http://www.southwest.com

Contact:
Media - Public Relations of Southwest Airlines Co.
+1-214-792-4847
Customers –
+1-800-I-FLY-SWA or +1-800-435-9792
en Espanol –
+1-800-VAMONOS or +1-800-826-6667

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