Southwest Airlines Now Offering Pre-Cleared Arrival Into Hawaii

Hawaii-bound Customers flying Southwest from five gateway airports in California now can verify compliance with State of Hawaii COVID procedures before departing the mainland, streamlining airport arrivals on-island

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Southwest Airlines Co.

Mar 30, 2021, 17:00 ET

DALLAS, March 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) has introduced an added convenience for Customers flying to Hawaii on Southwest Airlines^®—an ability to present evidence of their compliance with the Hawaii Safe Travels program. Customers who have uploaded an approved negative COVID-19 test result, required travel information, and completed a health questionnaire before departing the mainland may be eligible to bypass airport screening when arriving in Honolulu (Oahu) and Kahului (Maui). This pre-clear convenience complements the carrier's approach to serving Hawaii with industry-leading value, comfort, and Hospitality, and pairs access of pre-trip testing options in select California cities with a streamlined arrival into the Islands.

Southwest Airlines now offering pre-cleared arrival into Hawaii

Southwest Airlines is a Trusted Travel Partner of the State of Hawaii. The program allows visitors and returning residents to bypass a mandatory 10-day quarantine on arrival provided they have met key requirements of the program and have correctly uploaded these items into a traveler profile on the State of Hawaii website:

Updated and complete travel information including flight details for the initial flight segment into Hawaii, all lodging details for each traveler aged 18 or older (with younger travelers included in the profile of one parent);
A valid, negative COVID-19 test result for each passenger, taken within 72 hours of departure for Hawaii, obtained from a State-of-Hawaii-approved Trusted Travel Partner; and,
A mandatory health questionnaire within the Safe Travels account.

Southwest^® Customer Service Agents now are available starting 90 minutes prior to departure to confirm Customers' State-of-Hawaii-approved profile. Completing this verification at a gate before departure allows a faster arrival on-island. Southwest is offering the new service to Customers either starting their journey or connecting in the five California airports from which it offers nonstop service to the Hawaiian Islands—Oakland; San Jose, Calif.; Sacramento; San Diego; and Long Beach, Calif. The State of Hawaii reserves the right to re-screen or validate the screening of any passenger. Visit Southwest.com/coronavirus/Hawaii to learn more about the requirements, procedures, and pre-departure testing options that uniquely complement the value of Southwest.

"Our value goes beyond our low fares with no surprise fees, and our industry-leading* Customer Satisfaction. This Pre-Clear convenience recognizes that Customers are excited to begin enjoying Hawaii once they land, and this process will expedite their time in the airport, allowing them to begin their Hawaii experience more quickly," said Tony Roach, Southwest Airlines Managing Director of Customer Experience.

Additionally, Southwest proudly collaborates with CityHealth Urgent Care to offer appointments in five California locations for $20 COVID tests (results within 48 hours from the time of collection) that meet State of Hawaii requirements. Along with other providers listed at Southwest.com/coronavirus/Hawaii, CityHealth offers this affordable testing option to Customers at the airports in Oakland; San Jose; Sacramento; Long Beach; and at a location in downtown San Francisco.

With the addition this month of Long Beach as a gateway with daily service to Hawaii (nonstop to both Honolulu (Oahu), and Kahului (Maui)), Southwest aircraft currently are scheduled to takeoff for Hawaii 14 times a day from a total of five gateway airports in California. In addition, nonstop service between Lihue (Kauai), and the Bay Area (Oakland and San Jose) is scheduled to resume June 6, 2021. Southwest Airlines also operates 24 departures a day to offer interisland service within the State of Hawaii. Southwest's Hawaii service on Boeing 737-800 aircraft features spacious seating for 175 Customers and inflight entertainment that makes time fly while onboard. Southwest Customers may use their own devices and headphones to experience free music, free movies, free live and on-demand TV, and free messaging. These inflight entertainment options are totally free and don't require a Wi-Fi purchase to access. (Available only on Wi-Fi enabled aircraft. May not be available for the full duration of flight. Inflight messaging only allows access to iMessage and WhatApp, which both must be downloaded before departure.)

*The Department of Transportation (DOT) ranks all U.S. carriers based on the lowest ratio of complaints per 100,000 passengers enplaned, as published in the DOT Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR). Southwest earned the best Customer Satisfaction ranking among U.S. Marketing Carriers with the lowest ratio of complaints to the DOT per 100,000 enplaned passengers for 2020. A Marketing Carrier is an airline that advertises under a common brand name, sells reservations, manages frequent flyer programs, and ultimately is responsible for the airline's consumer policies. Operating Carriers only handle the flight operations, passenger check-in/boarding, and baggage handling for the respective Marketing Carriers they serve—Operating Carriers are not responsible for DOT complaints related to policies, procedures, and advertising associated with the Marketing Carrier's brand.

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 50^th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. continues to differentiate itself from other air carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by more than 56,000 Employees to a Customer base that topped 130 million Passengers in 2019. Southwest has a robust network of point-to-point service with a strong presence across top leisure and business markets. In peak travel seasons during 2019, Southwest operated more than 4,000 weekday departures among a network of 101 destinations in the United States and 10 additional countries. In 2020, the carrier added service to Hilo, Hawaii; Cozumel, Mexico; Miami; Palm Springs, Calif.; Steamboat Springs; and Montrose (Telluride), Colo. Thus far in 2021, Southwest has initiated service to Chicago (O'Hare) and Sarasota/Bradenton both on Feb. 14; as well as Savannah/Hilton Head and Colorado Springs both on March 11; and will begin service to both Houston (Bush) and Santa Barbara, Calif. on April 12; Fresno, Calif. on April 25; Destin/Ft. Walton Beach on May 6; Myrtle Beach, S.C. on May 23; Bozeman, Mont. on May 27; and Jackson, Miss. on June 6. The Company also has announced an intention to initiate new service to Eugene, Ore., and Bellingham, Wash., later this year.

The carrier issued its Southwest^®Promise in May 2020 to highlight new and round-the-clock efforts to support its Customers and Employees well-being and comfort. Among the changes are enhanced cleaning efforts at airports and onboard aircraft, along with a federal mandate requiring every person to wear a mask at all times throughout each flight. Additional details about the Southwest Promise are available at Southwest.com/Promise.    

Southwest coined Transfarency^® to describe its purposed philosophy of treating Customers honestly and fairly, and low fares actually staying low. Southwest is the only major U.S. airline to offer bags fly free^® to everyone (first and second checked pieces of luggage, size and weight limits apply, some carriers offer free checked bags on select routes or in qualified circumstances). Southwest does not charge change fees, though fare differences might apply.  

Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world, known for a triple bottom line approach that contributes to the carrier's performance and productivity, the importance of its People and the communities they serve, and an overall commitment to efficiency and the planet. Learn more about how the carrier gives back to communities across the world by visiting Southwest.com/citizenship.  

Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online at Southwest.com or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA.  

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SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.