Feature News

DALLAS, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) announced today that the Company flew 7.2 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs) in July 2009, a 5.2 percent increase from the 6.9 billion RPMs flown in July 2008. Available seat miles (ASMs) decreased 3.6 percent to 8.7 billion from the July 2008 level of 9.0 billion. The load factor for the month was 83.2 percent, compared to 76.3 percent for the same period last year. For July 2009, passenger revenue per ASM is estimated to have decreased in the five to six percent range as compared to July 2008.

For the seven months ended July 31, 2009, Southwest flew 43.8 billion RPMs, compared to the 44.3 billion RPMs recorded for the same period in 2008, a decrease of 1.1 percent. Available seat miles decreased 3.5 percent to 58.4 billion from the 2008 level of 60.6 billion. The year-to-date load factor was 75.0 percent, compared to 73.1 percent for the same period last year.

This release, as well as past news releases on Southwest, are available online at http://www.southwest.com/?src=INVRINVJLTR000000090806.

                             SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
                  PRELIMINARY COMPARATIVE TRAFFIC STATISTICS


                                                      JULY
                                         -------------------------------

                                         2009         2008        CHANGE
                                         ----         ----        ------


      Revenue passengers carried      8,076,252     8,067,035       0.1%

      Enplaned passengers             9,554,999     9,362,923       2.1%

      Revenue passenger miles (000)   7,240,727     6,885,268       5.2%

      Available seat miles (000)      8,703,631     9,028,366      (3.6)%

      Load factor                          83.2%         76.3%      6.9 pts.

      Average length of haul                897           854       5.0%

      Trips flown                        98,761       103,157      (4.3)%


                                                  YEAR-TO-DATE
                                         -------------------------------

                                         2009         2008        CHANGE
                                         ----         ----        ------


      Revenue passengers carried     50,512,112    53,565,198      (5.7)%

      Enplaned passengers            59,110,427    61,622,495      (4.1)%

      Revenue passenger miles (000)  43,815,835    44,288,968      (1.1)%

      Available seat miles (000)     58,428,233    60,556,888      (3.5)%

      Load factor                          75.0%         73.1%      1.9 pts.

      Average length of haul                867           827       4.8%

      Trips flown                       667,469       701,379      (4.8)%