An awe5ome adventure.
Time flies when you’re democratizing the skies. Since 1971, Southwest’s purpose has been to connect People to what’s important in their lives and give them the freedom to fly through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel. Join us as we look back on 50 years of upholding that purpose, and visit this page often to find out how you can be a part of our year-long celebration.
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Latest updates:
New items in our shop
Check out the latest swag commemorating our 50th anniversary.
Moments in time.
Herb & Rollin: The Birth of Southwest Airlines®.
When two transplanted Yankees, bonded in the belief that air travel could be more affordable and more democratic, met at St. Anthony’s in San Antonio, they hatched a plan to revolutionize the industry with nothing but a few stiff drinks, a cocktail napkin and one outrageous idea that ticked off existing airlines.
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Courting Success: Early Southwest Legal Battles.
After rivals tied up Southwest in a host of legal battles, Herb Kelleher jumped on a plane to Austin, Texas, in 1971 and crashed a party, hoping to plead his case to a few Texas Supreme Court justices. The next day, wearing the same suit, he made a persuasive argument before the Texas Supreme Court.
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Fare Play: $13 Bottles of Booze and The Two-Tier Fare System
On an otherwise ordinary morning in February 1973, Southwest President Lamar Muse was paging through one of the local Texas papers. And that’s when he saw it: a full-page ad from Braniff Airlines, a particularly bitter rival that had previously waged a prolonged legal fight to keep Southwest from taking flight.
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Tickets, Please: Southwest in the Internet Age
In the spring of 1994, three of Southwest’s largest competitors—Delta, United, and Continental—launched a coordinated surprise attack on their rival, hoping to muscle it out of the skies.
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Parks’ Place: The Last Flight of Rosa Parks
When Rosa Parks, one of the soft-spoken champions of the Civil Rights movement, passed away on October 24, 2005, the nation, as a whole, seemed to rise in her honor.
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Creating a Culture of Employee Appreciation and Recognition
Overhauling a corporate culture is difficult. Thankfully, that wasn’t necessary when Tonda Ferguson joined Southwest in 1982 as Manager of Employee Communications.
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Air Care: Southwest’s Medical Transportation Grant Program
Sometimes getting urgent medical care requires more than an ambulance ride to the local hospital. When a little girl in Florida named Wrenn was diagnosed at birth with a potentially deadly condition, reaching treatment several states away was a matter of life and death.
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Heroes of the Heart
Southwest is exceedingly proud of our Customer-facing Employees who often get well-deserved attention and accolades, but so many Employees work tirelessly behind the scenes.
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The Heart of our People.
The Heart of our People.
Our Heart is to take care of People because we are more than an airline, we’re your neighbor.
Since 2008 we’ve contributed…
1.5 million hours of volunteer work by our Employees.
Over $222 million dollars toward local communities.
Nearly 480 thousand flights for those in need.
In honor of our 50th year, we’re inviting our Customers, communities, partners, and friends to join us in the call to put Hearts in Action and spark kindness and compassion around the world. Stay tuned for how you can join, and click below to learn more about our current Community Programs.
Learn about our community effortsSource: Southwest Airlines One Report.
Our Founder’s Philosophy.
Our Founder’s Philosophy.
Celebrate with us!
Showcase your Heart with stylish swag commemorating our 50th.
Shop 50th merchandise
Our memorable runway looks.
Our planes have been instantly recognizable for decades. Take a look at some of our high-flying fashions from the past.
Feeling inspired?
Make your own history with us! Book your next adventure today at Southwest.com.
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