Southwest's international services were coming from AirTran and, before the airline acquired AirTran, Southwest focused on its domestic market. All 88 of the 717s were subleased to Delta Air Lines, leaving Southwest with an all-737 fleet. Only a week later, Southwest received its first Boeing 737-800 and showed it off on March 21st.Īs the airline examined its plan forward, the carrier decided to let go of AirTran's Boeing 717s. On March 1st, 2012, Southwest and AirTran received FAA approval for a single operating certificate, which was a crucial part of the integration of the two airlines. This came as, every year, the carrier continued to grow and add new destinations. Throughout the 1980s, Southwest earned high marks with customers, receiving few complaints and boasting a strong on-time record. Shortly after, in June, the airline opened "The Company Club," a frequent flyer program that rewarded passengers based on the number of total trips flown.Īlso, in 1987, Southwest's wholly-owned TranStar subsidiary ceased operations and entered liquidation. These would join the 737-300s already in Southwest's fleet. In May of that year, Southwest announced it would order 20 122-seat 737-500s with options for 20 more. Significantly, however, Southwest would offer its companion fares on select flights.Īs the airline approached its 16th anniversary in 1987, executives still had expansion on their minds. At the same time, several routes would see low fare offers. The airline would offer Senior Citizens programs that allowed older Americans to buy tickets for $25 one-way.
Throughout the 1980s, Southwest continued to experiment with ticket prices. Boeing eventually did move forward with the 737 Classic series, and Southwest ordered ten of the type that same year.īy 1982, Southwest had added flights to Las Vegas (LAS), Phoenix (PHX), San Diego (SAN), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), and Kansas City (MCI) with a total fleet of 37 aircraft. In 1981, Southwest went to Boeing and told them it would be interested in purchasing ten new 737-300s with options for ten more if Boeing were to develop the aircraft. With growth still on the carrier's mind, the airline returned to Houston (IAH) with inflight contests and complimentary cocktails on selected flights. The airline then opened up services out of Dallas-Love to Tulsa (TUL), Oklahoma City (OKC), and Albuquerque (ABQ). This was designed to divert more traffic over to Dallas/Fort Worth International– where Southwest did not want to move. This would limit interstate services from Love Field to states immediately bordering Texas. Braniff and Texas International (previously Trans Texas) still held issues with Southwest Airlines and attempted to prevent the airline's operations.Īt the end of 1979, the Wright Amendment was proposed. At the same time, Boeing offered to sell Southwest three 737-200s, which the carrier took up. In 1971, Air Southwest changed its name to Southwest Airlines. The case went all the way to the Texas Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of Southwest on December 7th, 1970, called Air Southwest at the time. However, Braniff, Trans Texas, and Continental Airlines initially took issue with Southwest's proposed operations. So, Southwest would be able to set lower ticket fees and undercut potential rivals. However, some of these controls did not apply if the airline would solely be a Texan operator. The illustration symbolized the linking of the Texan cities of Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.ĭuring this time, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) supervised market regulations throughout the country.
The original plan was laid out in a triangle drawn on a cocktail napkin. Kelleher and Rollin King initially drew up the model in a hotel bar in San Antonio in 1967.
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