FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Newark, NJ — March 28, 2011 — Mayor Cory A. Booker, City of Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage, Southwest Airlines Chairman of the Board, President and CEO Gary Kelly, and Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Bill Baroni announced that Southwest Airlines has started its new service of six daily nonstop flights from Newark to Chicago Midway and two daily nonstop flights to St. Louis during a media reception at the Theater Square Grille in Downtown Newark. Also in attendance were Deputy Mayor of Economic and Housing Development Stefan Pryor and Department of Economic and Housing Development Director of Logistics and Industrial Operations W. Deen Sharif.
“Southwest Airlines is now part of the nation’s largest transportation super-structures; including an international airport, major rail connections, major highway intersections and the busiest seaport on the east coast,” said Mayor Booker. “We are one of the top 10 most populous states in the nation. In addition to our transportation super-structure, Newark is an arts, cultural, sports and entertainment hub. We are excited to have Southwest Airlines join the City of Newark, and with a carrier that will provide our fellow New Jerseyans with a great travel experience. We welcome Southwest Airlines to Brick City and wish them success and growth.”
“We are thrilled about spreading our wings into the greater New York/New Jersey area. With this new service, not only are we adding nonstop flights to Chicago Midway and St. Louis, but also complementing our LaGuardia and Long Island service,” Mr. Kelly said. “Southwest is here to provide our Customers with our legendary Customer Service, our great value, and our Customer friendly policy of Bags fly Free. We appreciate the leadership of both Governor Chris Christie’s administration and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for making it possible for Southwest to bring our planes to New Jersey.”
“The Port Authority welcomes Southwest to Newark Liberty, where they join a family of airlines that serve the 34 million Newark fliers every year,” said Mr. Baroni. “Now, the people of New Jersey and New York have even more options to get to six new locations. These options for our fliers and the hundreds of jobs Southwest is bringing to New Jersey are a real sign of their commitment to our region.”
Southwest Airlines’ new service to Newark Liberty International Airport will offer direct or connecting service to more than 45 destinations including: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Dallas, and San Diego. Beginning June 5, 2011, Southwest will offer more service from Newark with three daily nonstops to Baltimore/Washington, three daily nonstops to Denver, two daily nonstops from Houston Hobby, and two daily nonstops to Phoenix Sky Harbor.
To download the flight schedule and view all of Southwest’s destinations from/to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), visit www.southwest.com. To learn more about this new service, visit their blog at: /http://www.blogsouthwest.com/blog/big-72
“With increased transportation options combined with legendary customer service, the City of Elizabeth is proud to welcome Southwest Airlines to Newark Liberty International Airport,” said Mayor Bollwage. “As they embark on this exciting new initiative to expand services and meet the needs of diverse populations throughout our region, we extend our congratulations and best wishes for continued success.”
In addition to today’s news conference, Southwest volunteers flew in from the Company’s headquarters in Dallas, over the weekend to help celebrate the new service by volunteering alongside Jersey Cares. The team worked together to complete improvements at Newark’s South 17th Street School by weeding gardens, planting flowers, and beautifying the surrounding areas.
Bishop LeRoy Martin of the Thankful Center of Los Angeles was one of the first Southwest Airlines passengers who flew on a direct flight from Los Angeles to Newark. He gave the airline a positive review and said, “They were great. It was a direct flight with good service and very customer-friendly staff. I saved a lot of time by not having to fly in to La Guardia Airport or JFK in New York. I’m happy that my return flight will also be on Southwest Airlines.”
In its 40th year 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 nation’s largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers boarded; now serving 72 cities in 37 states. Southwest also is one of the most honored airlines in the world known for its commitment to the triple bottom line of Performance, People, and Planet. To read more about how Southwest is doing its part to be a good citizen, visit www.southwest.com/cares to read the Southwest Airlines One Report. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,400 flights a day and has nearly 35,000 Employees system-wide.
