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SOUTHWEST AIRLINES - BASED IN DALLAS TEXAS - INFORMATION HISTORY PICTURES AND FACTS
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SOUTHWEST AIRLINES - BASED IN DALLAS TEXAS
INFORMATION HISTORY PICTURES AND FACTS

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classic colors southwest 737

Southwest Airlines, Inc. NYSE: LUV, based in Dallas, Texas, is an airline in the United States.

It is the third-largest airline in the world, as measured in number of passengers carried, and the largest with destinations exclusively in the United States. It is known as a "discount airline" compared to its domestic rivals and has been profitable every year since 1973.

Southwest Airlines was originally incorporated as Air Southwest on March 15, 1967 by Rollin King and Herb Kelleher. Some of the incumbent airlines of the time (Braniff, Trans-Texas, and Continental Airlines) initiated legal action, and thus began a 3 year legal battle to keep Air Southwest on the ground. Air Southwest eventually prevailed in the United States Supreme Court, which ultimately upheld Air Southwest's right to fly in Texas. December 7, 1970, the date of the Supreme Court decision, is considered by many to be the defacto beginning of deregulation in the airline industry.

Southwest Airlines had Boeing 727 aircraft

In early 1971, Air Southwest changed their 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, 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.

southwest airlines 737 flies off into sunset

The start of service in June 1971 was accomplished with three 737-200 aircraft that had been obtained from Boeing on favorable terms, and a fourth aircraft was obtained in September of 1971. The rest of 1971 and 1972 saw operating losses, and one of the four aircraft was later sold to Frontier Airlines of Denver and the proceeds used to make payroll and cover other expenses. Southwest continued to operate a schedule predicated on 4 aircraft but using only 3, and in so doing the "ten minute turn" was born, and was the standard ground time for many years. Southwest turned its first annual profit in 1973, and has done so every year since.

After the opening of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in 1974, Southwest was the only airline not to move to the new airport. When airline deregulation came in 1978, Southwest began planning to offer interstate service from Love Field, but a number of interest groups affiliated with DFW Airport, including American Airlines and the city of Fort Worth, pushed the Wright Amendment through Congress to restrict such flights. Southwest was barred from operating, or even ticketing passengers on flights from Love Field beyond the states immediately surrounding Texas. In 1997, the Shelby Amendment added the states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kansas to the list of permissible destination states. Since late 2004, Southwest has been 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 Dallas Love to St. Louis and Kansas City quickly started in December of 2005. Southwest's efforts to fully repeal the Wright Amendment are slated to continue in 2006.

southwest airlines interior view of seats on boeing 737

Despite the restrictions on its home base, Southwest proceeded to build a successful business on flying multiple short, quick trips into the secondary airports of major cities, using primarily only one aircraft type, the Boeing 737. 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).

Over time, Southwest has added improved 737 variants but has stayed within the Boeing 737 family to reduce operating costs.

southwest airlines closeup nose shot

In 2004, Southwest injected capital into ATA Airlines that (among other things) would have resulted in Southwest's 27.5% ownership stake in ATA upon their exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Southwest also entered into a codesharing arrangement with ATA, which was Southwest's first domestic codeshare arrangement. (Some years earlier, Southwest had a short-lived codeshare arrangement with Icelandicair at BWI.) In late 2005, ATA secured $100 million in additional financing from the firm of Matlin Patterson, and Southwest's original deal with ATA was modified such that Southwest no longer had the 27.5% stake (or any other financial interest) in ATA.





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SOUTHWEST AIRLINES N383SW BOEING 737-300 TAMPA AIRPORT TAKEOFF VIDEO


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