CEO Gary Kelly

DALLAS (AP) -- Southwest Airlines Co. is doubling its $500 million share buyback program to $1 billion and raising its quarterly dividend to 1 cent per share. Southwest says its $500 million repurchase program was approved in August. It has ...  

Southwest Airlines Co. passengers will soon be able to fly beyond the border. The domestic airline giant is breaking into the international market for the first time following its acquisition of AirTran Airways, according to USA Today. Southwest (NYSE: LUV), which flies out of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, is taking over AirTran’s flights to the Caribbean and Mexico. The move will include the company changing its reservation...  

Southwest Airlines Co. has tentative plans to lease its Boeing Co. 717 jets to Delta Air Lines Inc. over a period of two years, starting in the second half of 2013, according to a report on Bloomberg. The move will give Southwest (NYSE: LUV) continuity in its fleet and help reduce training and maintenance costs, said Southwest CEO Mike Van de Ven. “It improves our scheduling flexibility and our ability to recover when operations go awry,” he...  

May 28, 2012 (AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION via COMTEX) -- Southwest Airlines LUV on Friday announced that tickets for its service between Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Reagan National Airport are available for sale now. Tickets are available ...  

Southwest Airlines Co. promises to pay for $100 million in airport improvements so that it can launch international flights from Houston’s Hobby Airport over the objections of United Airlines. With the Southwest pledge, Houston Mayor Annise ...  

Here are comments Wednesday from Southwest Airlines chairman and CEO Gary Kelly after Houston Mayor Annise Parker said she supportS Southwest's proposal to build a five-gate international terminal and customers facility at Houston Hobby Airport: "Today is a great day...  

Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) has big plans to expand into the international market. The Dallas-based airline, which bought AirTran in 2011, is picking up that airline’s flights to Mexico and the Caribbean, is getting a new reservations system to handle overseas bookings and plans to expand substantially at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport. The plan to build a significant international presence is a big shift for Southwest, which has...  

Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) said Wednesday that it plans to slow down its fleet growth as part of its plan to hit profit targets. “The delivery deferrals will reduce our capital spending roughly $1 billion, in total, for 2012 through 2014, supporting our desire to strengthen our free cash flow in an uncertain economic and fuel cost environment,” said Gary Kelly, Southwest president, chairman and CEO, at Wednesday’s annual shareholder...  

Southwest Airlines said it has postponed 30 deliveries of Boeing’s 737s passenger airplanes, pushing the orders back four years, the Chicago Tribune reports. Boeing said it over-books its delivery slots and its Renton, Wash. assembly plant, where the airplanes are made, will not be affected by the postponement. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said Wednesday the deferrals will save Southwest more than $1 billion in capital spending through 2014...  

Southwest Airlines is rated the world's most generous airline when it comes to redeeming frequent flier miles, according to a new survey by consulting firm IdeaWorks Co. It's the second straight year that Dallas-based Southwest (NYSE: LUV) has won the top spot in the annual report. Twenty-three airlines worldwide were rated on how often they award free tickets in response to website inquiries on redeeming frequent-flier miles. For its third...  

Southwest Airlines Co. will move forward with plans to launch new nonstop service between the Texas’ capital and the nation’s capital. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood approved Southwest’s bid to offer flights between Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The new flight service should begin this summer. Dallas-based Southwest (NYSE: LUV) provides passenger airline services throughout...  

The Frontiers of Flight Museum honored Gary Kelly of Southwest Airlines this week with induction into its Hall of Fame. The museum awarded Kelly, Southwest board chairman, president and CEO, the George E. Haddaway Award at a Thursday night banquet that celebrated all things aviation. “Any time we get an honor by such a tremendous organization like this, it’s very humbling,” said Kelly, a 24-year veteran of the company. “On the other hand...  

Southwest Airlines announced Friday that its appearance techs approved a tentative agreement with the company. The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, which represents the group, said there were 237 members eligible to vote. AMFA said that 172 members, or 83.5 percent...  

Southwest Airlines co-founder Herb Kelleher and a gaggle of other titans, from former U.S. Spec Ops commanders to Sam Gilliland, chief executive officer of Dallas-based Sabre Holdings, reject outright the idea that we can drill our way to energy independence....  

I am so very thankful that Southwest Airlines and The Country Throwdown Tour have strapped on their boots to make this a special trip and a summer highlight for these military families." Southwest Airlines is providing roundtrip travel and hotel ...