Additionally, customers traveling in Envoy, US Airways’ international business class, on the airline’s fleet of Airbus A330 aircraft can now experience the remarkably comfortable, peaceful and private Envoy Suite to many new destinations. Equipped with an adjustable seat that reclines into a fully flat bed, the Envoy Suite also features personal in-flight entertainment and a standard 110-volt universal power outlet so customers can work, play and relax. The Envoy Suite is now available on the airline’s entire Airbus A330 fleet of 16 aircraft and on most flights between the U.S. and Paris, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Munich, Manchester, Rome, and Tel Aviv.

“Our seasonal service gives our customers more ways to reach their favorite European destinations from bothPhiladelphia and Charlotte, while also giving European travelers access to US Airways destinations as diverse asSan Juan and Los Angeles,” said Suzanne Boda, senior vice president, airport customer service, international and cargo. “Customers will also be able to enjoy the Envoy Suite to many new destinations enhancing their travel experience across the Atlantic.”

American’s 767-300ERs to Have Fully Lie-Flat Business Class Seats with All-Aisle Access and Main Cabin Extra

This enhancement to the AAdvantage flight award booking tool is part of American’s ongoing effort to simplify the process of redeeming miles for flight awards on participating airlines.

“This new AA.com functionality gives AAdvantage members more control, convenience and flexibility during the award booking process,” said Suzanne Rubin, President – AAdvantage Loyalty Program. “The ability to book participating airline awards online is something our customers have been asking for, and we’re pleased to offer them this convenient new option when redeeming their miles for flights on British Airways and Hawaiian Airlines.”

The addition of British Airways, American’s fellow oneworld member and joint business partner, to the list of airlines offering this new award booking option highlights American’s ongoing commitment to offering enhanced benefits to its customers and the customers of fellow oneworld members. In 2010, American, British Airways and Iberia implemented a trans-Atlantic joint business allowing the three airlines to cooperate commercially on nonstop flights between the United States (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Canada, Mexico and the European Union, Switzerland and Norway.

In addition to British Airways and Hawaiian Airlines, AAdvantage members can also redeem their miles on AA.com for award travel on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. For more details please visit www.AA.com.

Customers who are not AAdvantage members can enroll for free at www.AA.com/enroll.

“We are thrilled to share this news today with Members of both Rapid Rewards and A+ Rewards,” said Kevin Krone, Southwest Airlines Vice President of Marketing, Sales, and Distribution. “Members of both programs have been asking for this ability, and we know they will enjoy using their loyalty rewards to travel to even more destinations.”

The ability to convert loyalty rewards requires an active account in each program. Members then use their Rapid Rewards Member account number to access the loyalty rewards conversion capability on southwest.com®. Southwest’s Rapid Rewards Members can convert their Rapid Rewards Points, active credits, and active Awards/Certificates into A+ Rewards Credits for flights on AirTran. AirTran’s A+ Rewards Members can convert their active A+ Rewards Credits into Rapid Rewards Credits for flights on Southwest Airlines.

Members can make the following conversions:

Transferring Southwest’s Rapid Rewards* to AirTran’s A+ Rewards

1,200 Rapid Rewards Points –> 1 A+ Rewards Credit.(1)

1 Rapid Rewards Credit –> 1 A+ Rewards Credit.(2)

1 Rapid Rewards Standard Award –> 16 A+ Rewards Credits.(3)

1 Rapid Rewards Freedom Award –> 32 A+ Rewards Credits.(4)

Note: 16 A+ Credits = one roundtrip Coach ticket on AirTran

Transferring AirTran’s A+ Rewards to Southwest’s Rapid Rewards

1 A+ Rewards Credit –> Rapid Rewards Credit.(5)

Note: 16 Rapid Rewards Credits = 1 Standard Award

To learn more about Rewards Conversion, and view step-by-step instructions and videos, visit http://www.rewardsfarther.com . For more information about Rapid Rewards, visit http://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards . For more information about A+ Rewards, visit http://www.aplusrewards.com .

About Southwest Airlines

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 and has acquired AirTran Airways, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines Co. Southwest serves 73 cities in 38 states and remains one of the most honored airlines in the world known for its commitment to the triple bottom line of Performance, People, and Planet. To read more about how Southwest is doing its part to be a good citizen, visit southwest.com/citizenship to read the Southwest Airlines One Report(TM). Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,300 flights a day and has more than 39,000 Employees systemwide.

About AirTran Airways

AirTran Airways, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines Co., was named the top airline in the 2012 Airline Quality Rating study and has achieved that ranking three times in the past five years. AirTran offers coast-to-coast service on North America’s newest all-Boeing fleet. The airline’s low-cost, high-quality product also includes assigned seating and Business Class.

*Reflects 2012 schedule changes announced through November 2, 2012.

www.southwest.com

(1)Rapid Rewards Points can be converted in increments of 300. Expiration date of newly created A+ Rewards Credits will be one year from the date of creation. Please note that Rapid Rewards Points that are transferred into A+ Rewards Credits cannot be transferred back into Rapid Rewards as Points.

(2)Rapid Rewards Credits can be converted in increments of .25 Credits. Expiration date of newly created A+ Rewards Credits will be the same as the original expiration date of the Rapid Rewards Credits transferred.

(3)Active one-way Certificates can be transferred for 8 A+ Rewards Credits. Expiration date of newly created A+ Rewards Credits will remain the same as the original expiration date on the Award/Certificate.

(4)Active one-way Certificates can be transferred for 16 A+ Rewards Credits. Expiration date of newly created A+ Rewards Credits will remain the same as the original expiration date on the Award/Certificate.

(5)Credits can be converted in increments of .25 Credits. Expiration date of newly created Rapid Rewards Credits will be the same as the original expiration date of the A+ Rewards Credits converted. Once you reach 16 total combined Credits in your Rapid Rewards account, a Standard Award will automatically generate, carrying an expiration date of one year from the date the Award was created.

SOURCE Southwest Airlines

The poll of over 1000 airline passengers questioned respondents on their seat preferences (aside from extra legroom seats) including which section and whether they chose window, middle or aisle seats. The poll also delved deeper to find out if choices were influenced by lucky numbers as well as odd or even row numbers.

Combining these responses Skyscanner can reveal that the most sought after seat on a standard aircraft is seat 6A.

This survey supports previous studies which have found that the front six rows of the plane are the most popular, taking 45% of the votes, a fact Easyjet are obviously aware of as booking seats in this section of the aircraft is actually £8 instead of the standard £3 charged to pre-book seats in any other section.

Perhaps more surprising was the number of passengers who prefer the window seat – 60% – compared to just 39% who opt for the aisle, with an unusual 1% choosing the middle seat.

At the other end of the scale, the survey found that the most unpopular seat was 31E, a middle seat towards the back of the aircraft.

Skyscanner’s travel editor, Sam Baldwin comments, “There is always a great rush to get on board and get that favoured seat and I think it is really interesting that there are so many differing opinions on this.”

“Anecdotally some passengers seem to opt for the middle section near the wings where they are less likely to feel turbulence while others want to be near the front for ease of getting off the plane, less engine noise or even to get a better choice of food available. The window seems a popular choice for those looking to sleep, especially for long haul flights, while those who take more trips to the toilet prefer sitting next to the aisle so as not to disturb fellow passengers. The aisle is also popular for tall passengers looking to stretch their legs. Frequent fliers have also reported that the left hand side of the plane is best as the windows are off centre, allowing for wall space to lean on”.

“I just hope that the low cost carriers don’t find out that there is such demand for seat 6A and start charging a premium for it!”

All Travel Must be Complete by Oct. 31

Southwest’s Chairman, President, and CEO Gary Kelly and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Mike Van de Ven greeted thousands of cheering Employees, media, and invited guests who gathered to catch their first glimpse of the new aircraft.

“Not only is this is a beautiful aircraft, and one our Customers are sure to love, but it will also play an important strategic role in our future. The -800 aircraft carries 175 passengers, close to a 30 percent increase over our current fleet configuration, which will improve our unit costs per flight,” said Van de Ven. “Additionally, it complements our existing fleet with opportunities for longer-haul flying and schedule flexibility by allowing additional capacity in high-demand, slot-controlled, or gate-restricted airports.”

The -800 aircraft will feature Southwest’s new Evolve Interior and Boeing’s Sky Interior. Evolve offers a sleek cabin experience that enhances Customer comfort, improves fleet efficiency, and gives back to the environment. The Boeing Sky Interior offers a quieter, more comfortable environment for Customers with taller ceilings and more overhead bin space, improved operational security features, and ambient LED reading and ceiling lighting, which are more effective as well as energy efficient and adaptable to the mood onboard the aircraft. The aircraft also will be equipped with the airline’s satellite-based internet connectivity as Southwest continues to roll out WiFi across its fleet.

Southwest is planning to take delivery of 33 737-800 aircraft in 2012, which will come equipped with full Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards (ETOPS) configuration. ETOPS allows twin-engine aircraft to fly long distance routes and in the long-term, will provide the opportunity for adding new destinations to the airline’s robust route map.

Examples of fares* include (see Additional Fare Rules below):

• $69 one-way between Baltimore/Washington and Greenville-Spartanburg
• $69 one-way between Las Vegas and San Francisco
• $92 one-way between Birmingham and Chicago Midway
• $132 one-way between Atlanta and Baltimore/Washington

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 and has acquired AirTran Airways, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines Co. Southwest serves 73 cities in 38 states and remains one of the most honored airlines in the world known for its commitment to the triple bottom line of Performance, People, and Planet. To read more about how Southwest is doing its part to be a good citizen, visit southwest.com/citizenship to read the Southwest Airlines One Report(TM). Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,200 flights a day and has more than 37,000 Employees.

ADDITIONAL FARE RULES

Fares are available only on www.southwest.com and www.swabiz.com and can be purchased today, through March 29, 2012, 11:59 pm PT, with a 10-day advance purchase required.  Travel must take place between April 3, and June 27, 2012. Discounted fares to and from Florida are not available for travel between April 3, and April 16, 2012.  Fares are valid for travel only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Offer is unavailable for travel to or from Buffalo, Washington, D.C. Dulles International, Ft. Myers, or Seattle.  Seats are limited. Fares may vary by destinations, flight, and day of week and won’t be available on some flights that operate during very busy travel times and holiday periods. Fares are available for one-way travel. Fares may be combined with other combinable fares, except Senior Fares. When combining fares, all rules and restrictions apply. Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward the purchase of future travel on Southwest Airlines.  Fares are not available through the Group Desk.  Any change in the itinerary may result in an increase in fare. Standby travel requires an upgrade to the Anytime fare. Fares are subject to change until ticketed. Fares are valid on published, scheduled service only.

* Government-imposed taxes and fees are now included in the advertised fare. To comply with new government regulations, all airlines must include government-imposed taxes and fees in advertised air fares.

www.southwest.com