Southwest Airlines

• Baltimore
• Chicago Midway
• Dallas
• Denver
• Atlanta
• Houston
• Las Vegas
• St. Louis
• Los Angeles
• Nashville
• Oakland
• Orlando
• Phoenix
• San Diego

Southwest Airlines is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas.

Business

After founded on May 6, 1949 and in 1988 the bankrupt U.S. Pacific Southwest Airlines ( PSA), the Southwest Airlines is the second low-cost airline in the world and generates consistent profits since 1973. Southwest Airlines is currently the largest low cost airline in the world and a pioneer of low cost segment. In terms of passengers carried (2010: 88 million), it is the second-largest U.S. airline and also the largest domestic airline in the world by Delta Air Lines. Southwest ranked among the top ten most profitable airlines in the world at number four.

The successful Southwest Airlines concept has been copied by some airlines, including Ryanair and easyJet. But you do not achieve the size and turnover figures of South West by far.

History

Southwest Airlines was founded in March 1967 as Air Southwest Inc. of Herbert D. Kelleher and Rollin King Texan businessman. Through the force at that time strict regulation of intra- American aviation by the Federal Aviation Authority and complaints made against the start of operations by the major U.S. airlines (American Airlines, United Airlines, Eastern Airlines and Delta Airlines), which was then dominated the U.S. domestic market, delayed the start of operations of the new airline for four years.

In March 1971, the renaming of Air Southwest Inc. of Southwest Airlines was. On June 18 In 1971, the flight operations between Dallas, Houston and San Antonio was captured with three Boeing 737-200. Homebase is in Dallas, Texas since 1971 Dallas Love Field. Until 1978, only cities were served within the State of Texas, in 1979 was followed by expansions to Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona, Nevada and California.

In January 2005, the last of formerly 55 Boeing 737- 200Adv. Provided ( supplies of 1971-1985 ) out of service, various machines were turned off and still kept as a reserve. In February 2005, the airline received its 200th Boeing 737-700.

On 12 March 2008 the airline has taken 41 machines in its fleet out of service. Southwest is alleged to have bypassed the safety regulations. This was preceded by a fine in the amount of 10.2 million dollars, the American aviation authority FAA had imposed on it because it had not checked as required 46 machines for material fatigue.

In autumn 2010, Southwest took over the competitors AirTran for 1.4 billion U.S. dollars.

Fleet

As of October 2013, the fleet of 698 aircraft from Southwest Airlines is with a mean age of 11.7 years:

To date, the airline holds fast to the Boeing 737 and has the world's largest Boeing 737 fleet with more than 600 new and purchased aircraft. The only exceptions are the Boeing 717, which were acquired through the purchase of AirTran. However, these are gradually phased out and leased to Delta Air Lines. In the period from December 1997 to 31 December 2004 193 Boeing 737-700 aircraft were put into service. Other machines of this type are on firm order. Southwest Airlines is the launch customer of the Boeing 737-300 at the same time ( since November 1984 operation), Boeing 737-500 ( in operation since May 1990 ) and the Boeing 737-700 (since December 1997 with a line service). All Boeing 737-700 series Delivery 1997-2002 have been equipped since 2004 subsequently with winglets, delivered from 2003 machines have this already at delivery.

1971-1972 the fleet consisted of three Boeing 737-200 ( N20SW - N22SW ). For use in 1979-1980 was also leased from Braniff Boeing 727-200 and 1983-1984 two leased 727-200 of People Express. 1980 was one of the fleet, a Boeing 727-200 ( leased), and 21 Boeing 737- 200Adv. , 1986 for 46 Boeing 737- 200Adv. and 16 Boeing 737-300.

Finishes

Ocher and beige, red fuselage, vertical stabilizer ocher, red, orange with white lettering " SOUTHWEST "

Canyon - blue hull bottom red fin blue, red, orange with yellow lettering " SOUTHWEST " by the end of 2008, the entire fleet will be repainted, but three Boeing 737-700 ( N711HK, N714CB and N792SW ) continue to fly in the old colors to remember the original Texas triangle cities of Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

Several aircraft of Southwest Airlines were provided with special paint finishes:

Basic Information

Passengers transported:

Incidents

• One of Baltimore (Maryland) upcoming Boeing 737 on Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 came with 103 people on board on 8 December 2005 from in heavy snow from the runway of the airport, Chicago Midway. They then broke through the airport perimeter fence and came only on a heavily traveled road to the stand. Apart from some minor injuries, no one came on the plane itself to damage, but buried the plane into a car, since during the unfortunate landing next to an engine broke off the nose wheel well. In this car sat for a family of five, whose son was killed. The American Traffic Safety Administration ( NTSB ) said in a first reaction of difficult, but manageable conditions at the airport when landing the aircraft.

• Late investigations of 46 Boeing 737-300 aircraft due to FAA Airworthiness Directive of 2007 on material fatigue of this type of aircraft were appropriate cracks found in six. In the nine months between the FAA statement and the late inquiry of 2008, all 46 aircraft were of this type for Southwest by more than 60,000 flights. Southwest Airlines was sentenced for these neglected studies and the associated high risk of a fine of $ 10.2 million.

• On 13 July 2009 had a Boeing 737-300 airline with 131 people aboard in Charleston (West Virginia) make an emergency landing after a hole the size of a football had been torn in the roof of the cabin in flight. In the incident on the flight 2294 from Nashville to Baltimore no people were injured. The hole had been torn yet unknown reason about the middle of the aircraft cabin in the roof, creating a pressure drop created.

• For similar reasons, had to make an emergency landing 737 with 118 people on board on a military airfield near Yuma on April 1, 2011, coming from Phoenix Boeing. This was due to falling pressure in the cabin after a portion of the outer shell of the aircraft and replaced the roof of the plane up to a two meter hole was visible. The Flight 813 was on its way to Sacramento.

• On July 22, 2013 set a coming from Nashville, Tennessee 737-700 South West on the La Guardia Airport in New York City, with the front landing gear broke off and the Boeing was damaged in the following braking. Eight people on board were injured in the evacuation.