SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CELEBRATES 51ST BIRTHDAY AND WANNA GET AWAY DAY WITH WEEK-LONG SWEEPSTAKES

Carrier celebrates national holiday with sweepstakes offering up to 15 million Rapid Rewards bonus points, round trip air travel for winners and guests, and promotional Companion Passes throughout its birthday week

DALLAS, June 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) (the "Company") is celebrating its 51st birthday and national holiday, Wanna Get Away Day, with Customers this week by offering a daily sweepstakes counting down the days until its official birthday on June 18. Starting today, Customers have daily opportunities to win prizes like round trip travel for two, Rapid Rewards^® bonus points, and the highly coveted promotional Companion Pass^® (only on June 18) by visiting WannaGetAwayDay.com¹.

Wanna Get Away Day
Last year, in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of its first commercial flight, Southwest declared June 18 as Wanna Get Away Day and registered the day with the National Day Calendar. In 1996, Southwest coined the phrase "Wanna Get Away^®" to highlight the Company's expansion and create humorous moments relevant to its Customers within its marketing. As Wanna Get Away has become an iconic and recognized expression for the brand, Southwest took it a step further to celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2021 by announcing this new annual day.

"Wanna Get Away Day is about celebrating our colorful, 51-year history of connecting People to what's important in their lives," said Bill Tierney, Southwest Airlines Vice President of Marketing & Digital Experience. "We are thrilled to not only have a day that celebrates our past and present history, including our iconic Wanna Get Away campaign, but also highlights our future expansion, and brings together our amazing Employees and Customers."

Wanna Get Away Day Sweepstakes
This year, Southwest is celebrating early, counting down the days to Wanna Get Away Day. Beginning on Sunday, June 12, Customers have daily opportunities to play fun sweepstake games, themed to illustrate the different perks of the carrier's newest fare product, Wanna Get Away Plus™, for a chance to win daily prizes like round trip air travel for two and Rapid Rewards bonus points, all leading up to major prizes like Southwest's promotional Companion Pass on June 18¹. Visit WannaGetAwayDay.com through Saturday, June 18, 2022, at 11:58:59 p.m. CT to enter¹.

Countdown to Wanna Get Away Day
Countdown to Wanna Get Away Day with daily opportunities to play sweepstake games, themed to highlight perks available when booking Wanna Get Away Plus. Themed days include:

• 6 Days until Wanna Get Away Day: Sweepstakes launch day!
• 5 Days until Wanna Get Away Day: 8X Rapid Rewards bonus points
• 4 Days until Wanna Get Away Day: Transferable flight credit²
• 3 Days until Wanna Get Away Day: Same day change or standby³
• 2 Days until Wanna Get Away Day: Bags fly free^®4
• 1 Days until Wanna Get Away Day: No change/cancel fees⁴
• Wanna Get Away Day and Southwest's 51st Birthday!

² Transferable Flight Credit
Both must be Rapid Rewards Members and only one transfer is permitted. The expiration date is up to12 months from the date the ticket was booked. For bookings made through a Southwest™ Business channel, there is a limitation to transfer only between employees within the organization.

³ Same Day Change or Standby
For same-day changes, a confirmed seat, if there's an open seat on a different flight on the same day as original flight and it's between the same cities, the Customer can book a confirmed seat on the new flight free of airline charges. If there isn't an open seat, the Customer can ask a Southwest Gate Agent to add them to the same-day standby list. If there are any government taxes and fees associated with these itinerary changes, the Customer will be required to pay those. The Customer's original boarding position is not guaranteed. For both the same-day change and same-day standby benefits, the Customer must change their flight or request to be added to the same-day standby list at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled departure of their original flight or the no-show policy will apply. 

⁴ Flexibility Terms
At Southwest Airlines, there are no change fees (fare difference may apply), no cancellation fees (failure to cancel a reservation at least 10 minutes prior to scheduled departure may result in forfeited travel funds), and Bags fly free (two free checked bags, weight and size limits apply).

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.  
Southwest Airlines Co. operates one of the world's most admired and awarded airlines, offering its one-of-a-kind value and Hospitality at 121 airports across 11 countries. Celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2021, Southwest took flight in 1971 to democratize the sky through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel and now carries more air travelers flying nonstop within the United States than any other airline¹. Based in Dallas and famous for an Employee-first corporate Culture, Southwest maintains an unprecedented record of no involuntary furloughs or layoffs in its history. By empowering its nearly 59,000² People to deliver unparalleled Hospitality, the maverick airline cherishes a passionate loyalty among as many as 130 million Customers carried a year. That formula for success brought industry-leading prosperity and 47 consecutive years³ of profitability for Southwest Shareholders (NYSE: LUV). Southwest continues to develop tangible steps toward an environmental sustainability goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, including offering an opportunity for Customers to contribute toward helping Southwest offset its carbon emissions. For more information, please visit Southwest.com/wannaoffsetcarbon. Learn more at Southwest.com/citizenship about how Southwest Airlines leverages a unique legacy and mission to serve communities around the world.    

1) U.S. Dept. of Transportation most recent reporting of domestic originating passengers boarded   
2) fulltime-equivalent active Employees    
3) 1973-2019 annual profitability   

SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.