Southwest Airlines’ Rapid Rewards Program Wins Best Award Redemption at the 21st Annual Freddie Awards

Airline Finishes in the Top Five in Five Other Categories

DALLAS, April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Southwest Airlines’ frequent flyer program, Rapid Rewards, won first place for Best Award Redemption and placed in the top five in five other award categories at Inside Flyer magazine’s 21st annual Freddie Awards ceremony last week in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. This is the 11th consecutive year for Southwest Airlines to win Best Award Redemption (every year since the award was created in 1998). Southwest Airlines also placed in the top five in five other categories, including: Program of the Year, Best Web Site for southwest.com, Best Member Communications, Best Bonus Promotion, and Best Customer Service.

“Once again, frequent flyers have spoken loud and clear - Rapid Rewards is one of the best frequent flyer programs out there,� said Ryan Green, Southwest Airlines’ Director of Customer Loyalty. “Our Rapid Rewards program is designed to bring value to our most frequent and loyal Customers, and we are honored to be recognized with this prestigious Freddie Award.�

Each year, InsideFlyer magazine invites members of all frequent traveler programs to vote for the programs they feel deliver the best combination of benefits, awards, and returns on loyalty from the traveler’s point of view. Winners are determined not only by how many votes a program receives, but by the overall merits of each program as reflected in “value voting,� where voters rate their favorite programs on a scale of one to ten. More than 700,000 frequent flyers submitted ballots to Freddie Awards organizers, casting votes for programs worldwide.

About Rapid Rewards

Rapid Rewards Members earn credits by flying or using the frequent flyer program’s Preferred Partners. It takes just eight roundtrips to qualify for an Award, but Members can accelerate their earnings by using the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Visa Signature Card, doing business with any of the airline’s other Preferred Partners, or by purchasing Southwest’s Business Select fares when flying. Plus, once it’s earned, the Southwest Airlines Award may be transferred by the Member to anyone he/she chooses. The Award is free but subject to the U.S. government September 11th Security Fee of up to $10 roundtrip.

About Southwest Airlines

After nearly 38 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 most productive airline in the sky and offers Customers a comfortable traveling experience. Southwest recently updated its gate areas and improved its boarding procedure to make flying Southwest convenient and simple. And, best of all, Southwest Airlines is famous for No Hidden Fees! Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) currently serves 65 cities in 33 states. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,300 flights a day and has more than 35,000 Employees systemwide.

www.southwest.com