"Southwest Airlines Consolidates Northern California Flights"

Monday, January 22, 2001

Southwest Airlines Consolidates Northern California Flights
Nando Media


SAN FRANCISCO, -- Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) announced today that it
will cease flight operations at San Francisco International Airport on March
5, 2001 and will relocate most of its San Francisco operations to Oakland,
San Jose, and Sacramento on that date. Southwest's San Francisco departures
will continue to operate as presently scheduled through March 4, 2001.
Ticketed passengers, passengers holding reservations, or passengers desiring
to make reservations for flights to or from San Francisco International
Airport have no need to alter their plans involving travel prior to March 4,
2001. Southwest will start contacting those passengers who are currently
holding reservations into/out of San Francisco for the timeperiod of March
5, 2001 through June 8, 2001, in order to assist them in reaccommodating
their air travel needs.

Southwest currently has 14 departures per day from San Francisco
International Airport and, beginning March 5, 2001, eight of those will be
shifted to Oakland International Airport and two to Sacramento International
Airport. Orange County, Salt Lake City, and Las Vegas will also each receive
one additional daily departure as a result of Southwest's cessation of San
Francisco International Airport service.

Herbert D. Kelleher, chairman of Southwest, stated: "We are discontinuing
service to San Francisco International Airport on March 5, 2001 for
compelling business reasons. Our relatively small (14 out of 2700 daily
flights) San Francisco International Airport operation has not been
profitable for a considerable period of time; operation into and out of that
airport produces a disproportionate number of flight delays rippling across
our system; and the aircraft capacity devoted to San Francisco service is
needed to satisfy passenger demand, primarily at our other rapidly growing
California airports."

"Although we are discontinuing service at San Francisco International
Airport on March 5, 2001, we hope to accommodate many of our San Francisco
Customers and friends at Oakland and San Jose, our two outstanding,
alternative Bay Area airports," Kelleher said. "While we do, indeed, regret
that San Francisco International Airport will no longer be a part of
Southwest's operations, we rejoice in the fact that we can still provide
service to the wonderful people and City of San Francisco through both
Oakland and San Jose."

Kelleher also stated that all of Southwest's SFO Employees have performed
superbly and are being guaranteed jobs elsewhere on the Southwest system,
with the opportunity to remain in the Bay Area if they so desire.

In its 30-year history, Southwest Airlines has only discontinued operations
at three other airports: Detroit City Airport in 1993; Denver's Stapleton
International Airport in 1986; and Beaumont/Port Arthur in 1980.

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