Southwest Airlines Celebrates 40th Anniversary With Airfare as Low as $40
Southwest Airlines is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a big bang this year, dropping airfares to as low as $40, one-way, giving travelers a reason to celebrate as well.
Starting on Tuesday, sale fares will be available for purchase through June 23, 2011 in honor of the airline’s birthday.
Customers can purchase one-way tickets for $40, $80, and $120 to select destinations, based on the length of travel. For travel up to 450 miles, fares are $40 one-way; $80 one-way between 451 and 1,250 miles; and $120 one-way for travel more than 1,251 miles.
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“Southwest Airlines is celebrating its 40th Anniversary with its customers by offering even lower fares,” said Kevin Krone, Southwest Airlines Vice President of Marketing, Sales, and Distribution in a statement.
“We couldn’t think of a better way to surprise and delight our customers than with the offer to travel all over the country on Southwest’s incredibly low fares.”
Since 1972, Southwest Airlines has prided themselves in great customer service and super low fares.
In fact, in a new American Customer Satisfaction Index survey compiled by the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, the airlines topped rival companies like Continental and American in customer service, according to Reuters.
“The low-fare carrier posted an ACSI score of 81 in part because it has not taken anything away from customers and then offered it back for a fee,” ACSI managing director David VanAmburg said.
Southwest Airlines is currently the nation’s largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers boarded and serves 72 cities in 37 states. More than 3,400 flights are operated per day.
The company also recently acquired AirTran Airways, which is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines Co. AirTran Airways is also joining in on the birthday festivities, with fares as low as $40 one-way as well.
Fare rules are available on its website and include certain restrictions. Travel must take place between Aug. 23, 2011 and Nov. 16, 2011 and is valid every day except Fridays and Sundays.
Blackout days are: Sept. 1, Sept. 5, Sept. 6, and Oct. 10, 2011.
Examples of fares include $40 one-way between Philadelphia and the Boston Area, $80 one-way between Denver and San Francisco, and $120 one-way between Baltimore/Washington and Los Angeles.
Also in celebration of its anniversary, the budget-friendly airline is teaming up with the Student Conservation Association – a nonprofit organization providing individuals with hands-on conservation service opportunities – for the Conservation in Action Tour: 40 Projects for 40 Years.
All summer long, students from SCA will travel from coast to coast in a custom-designed Southwest Airlines biodiesel RV, joining more than 700 Southwest employees and community members in conservation projects across the country.
“This is the perfect way to celebrate our 40th Anniversary,” Southwest Airlines Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO Gary Kelly said in a statement. “Volunteering and giving back is something out people do year round. It’s our way of saying thank you to the communities that have given so much to us!”
The tour kicked off on Tuesday in Dallas, the airline’s hometown, celebrating the 40th Anniversary with three different service projects including Texas Trees Foundation, Trinity River Audobon Center, and the Rochester Park and a huge party in an airplane hangar.
“At Southwest Airlines, we consider ourselves much more than just a business; we are a neighbor in the community where you live,” the airline penned.
