Southwest Airlines (LUV) 8-K Southwest Airlines Reports September Traffic

Ex 99.1

CONTACT:  Investor Relations (214) 792-4415

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES REPORTS SEPTEMBER TRAFFIC

DALLAS, TEXAS – October 7, 2011 – Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) today reported September 2011 combined traffic results for Southwest Airlines and AirTran.  AirTran became a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines Co. (“the Company”) on May 2, 2011.  For purposes of comparability, the Company is providing combined traffic results for Southwest Airlines and AirTran for periods prior to the acquisition date.   See the accompanying tables for combined results.

The Company flew 7.9 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs) in September 2011, compared to 7.5 billion combined RPMs flown in September 2010, an increase of 6.4 percent.  Available seat miles (ASMs) increased 3.2 percent to 10.2 billion from the September 2010 combined level of 9.9 billion. The load factor for September 2011 was 77.8 percent, compared to the combined load factor of 75.5 percent in September 2010.  For September 2011, passenger revenue per ASM (PRASM) is estimated to have increased approximately 12 percent as compared to September 2010’s combined PRASM.

For the third quarter 2011, the Company flew 27.3 billion RPMs, compared to 25.9 billion combined RPMs flown for the same period in 2010, an increase of 5.3 percent.  Third quarter 2011 ASMs increased 4.7 percent to 33.3 billion, compared to the combined level of 31.8 billion for the same period in 2010.  The third quarter 2011 load factor was 82.0 percent, compared to the combined load factor of 81.5 percent for the same period in 2010.

For the first nine months of 2011, the Company flew 78.7 billion combined RPMs, compared to 72.9 billion combined RPMs flown for the same period in 2010, an increase of 8.0 percent.  The combined year-to-date ASMs increased 5.9 percent to 97.2 billion, compared to the combined level of 91.8 billion for the same period in 2010.  The combined year-to-date load factor was 80.9 percent, compared to the combined load factor of 79.4 percent for the same period in 2010.

This release, as well as past news releases about Southwest Airlines Co., is available online at southwest.com.

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	SEPTEMBER
	2011			2010			CHANGE
Revenue passengers carried		8,547,211			8,340,000			2.5	%
Enplaned passengers		10,509,784			10,122,420			3.8	%
Revenue passenger miles (000)		7,929,112			7,451,999			6.4	%
Available seat miles (000)		10,185,530			9,868,119			3.2	%
Load factor		77.8	%		75.5	%	2.3		pts.
Average length of haul		928			894			3.8	%
Trips flown		112,156			110,493			1.5	%
	THIRD QUARTER
		2011			2010		CHANGE
Revenue passengers carried		28,208,036			27,966,582			0.9	%
Enplaned passengers		35,010,060			34,346,991			1.9	%
Revenue passenger miles (000)		27,322,289			25,938,073			5.3	%
Available seat miles (000)		33,318,088			31,819,149			4.7	%
Load factor		82.0	%		81.5	%	0.5		pts.
Average length of haul		969			927			4.5	%
Trips flown		359,630			352,087			2.1	%
	YEAR-TO-DATE
		2011			2010		CHANGE
Revenue passengers carried		82,615,444			80,275,161			2.9	%
Enplaned passengers		101,763,544			97,645,251			4.2	%
Revenue passenger miles (000)		78,683,982			72,883,801			8.0	%
Available seat miles (000)		97,220,639			91,834,163			5.9	%
Load factor		80.9	%		79.4	%	1.5		pts.
Average length of haul		952			908			4.8	%
Trips flown		1,055,888			1,026,229			2.9	%

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