Southwest Airlines and ‘VISIT FLORIDA’ Announce Partnership

 Florida's largest intrastate carrier helps raise awareness of the Sunshine

                                   State



    DALLAS, Aug. 7 /EMWNews/ -- Bringing people to and around

Florida is what Southwest Airlines is all about. VISIT FLORIDA's mission is

to market travel and drive visitation to and within Florida. That is why

Southwest Airlines and VISIT FLORIDA are excited to announce a large scale,

integrated promotional partnership designed to raise awareness of Florida's

many attractions in key markets such as Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore,

Washington, DC, Pittsburgh, the Boston area, and Dallas.



    The joint marketing initiative includes television advertising, online

advertising, promotions, and public relations elements and is designed to

increase visitation to the Sunshine State this fall. As Florida's largest

carrier, Southwest is uniquely positioned to help increase visits and

promote the many attractions of Florida.



    "Florida is a great year-round destination, and we are thrilled to

partner with VISIT FLORIDA to help get the word out about all that Florida

has to offer," said Derek Kuester, Manager of National Promotions and

Partnerships. "Florida has been very good to Southwest, and we have been

good for Florida -- this is a win-win for both of us."



    VISIT FLORIDA is the state's official source for travel planning.

Travelers can find the information necessary to plan the perfect Florida

vacation at the award winning http://www.VISITFLORIDA.com web site.



    "VISIT FLORIDA is committed to establishing Florida as the #1 travel

destination in the world," said Tammy Gustafson, Planning and National

Accounts Executive of Universal Orlando and VISIT FLORIDA's Marketing Vice

Chair. "This partnership with Southwest Airlines will inspire millions of

travelers to consider a Florida vacation this fall and winter."



    After almost 37 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 Airlines (NYSE: LUV), the nation's largest carrier in

terms of domestic passengers carried, currently serves 64 cities in 32

states with more than 3,400 flights a day. Southwest began serving the

Sunshine State in 1996 and is the state's largest carrier, with service

from six Florida cities.




http://www.southwest.com