Southwest Airlines Purchases Shares in UATP

News provided by

Universal Air Travel Plan, Inc. (UATP)

Sep 13, 2010, 08:35 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines has purchased shares in the UATP Network becoming an active UATP Shareholder effective immediately. Southwest is a current UATP Merchant and accepts all UATP corporate cards in all sales channels.

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"Southwest continuously looks at ways to strategically grow the airline and by becoming a UATP shareholder we will position ourselves to enable new product offerings to the end-user," said Kevin Krone, vice president Marketing, Sales, and Distribution of Southwest Airlines. "This provides us with another way to deliver innovative solutions to Southwest Airlines customers."

Southwest has been a UATP Merchant for several decades and joins 20 shareholder airlines worldwide.

"Southwest is a smart airline; they have always operated in a manner which puts the customer first while returning outstanding value for their shareholders. Deepening their relationship with UATP will meet both those objectives," Ralph Kaiser, president and CEO, UATP said. "We look forward to working with Southwest and the opportunity to make an already great airline even better by helping them to deliver outstanding products and services which their customers have come to expect."

For more information, visit uatp.com or www.southwest.com

About UATP

UATP accounts are accepted as a form of payment for corporate business travel worldwide by airlines, travel agencies and Amtrak®. UATP accounts are issued by: Air New Zealand (Pink Sheets: ANZFF.PK); American Airlines (NYSE: AMR); Austrian Airlines (Pink Sheets: AUALF.PK); China Eastern Airlines Co., Ltd; Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL); Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL); EL AL Israel Airlines Ltd; GOL Linhas aereas inteligentes S.A. (NYSE: GOL and Bovespa: GOLL4); Japan Airlines (Pink Sheets: JALSY.PK); Qantas Airways, Ltd. (QUBSF.PK); United Airlines (Nasdaq: UAUA); and US Airways (NYSE: LCC). AirPlus International issues the UATP-based Company Account for: British Airways (LSE: BAY.L); Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL); and Lufthansa German Airlines.

About Southwest Airlines

After 39 years of service, Southwest Airlines continues to differentiate itself from other low fare carriers--offering a reliable product with exemplary Customer Service. Southwest Airlines is the nation's largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers boarded; now serving 69 cities in 35 states.