DALLAS, Dec. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest
Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) announced its 32nd
Annual LUV Classic Golf Tournament donated more than $500,000 to deserving charities around the
country. This event invites golfers to participate in a unique
tournament and tee up to support great causes. With more than 1,200
people attending this year's event, the LUV Classic helped give
back to communities across the nation in three important ways.
Supporting Children's Charities
Part of the money raised at the LUV Classic will be donated to
four charities that focus on improving the well-being of children
across the country. Shriners Hospital for Children, MD Anderson
Children's Cancer Center, Folds of Honor, and the Ronald McDonald
House Charities are all charities that work hard to positively
impact children. Whether these charities are providing medical
care, scholarship opportunities, or a home away from home, these
charities all have a common goal the LUV Classic donations will
support—to make a difference in the lives of children.
Additionally, MD Anderson and Shriners Hospital for Children are
both founding partners of Southwest Airlines Medical Transportation
Grant Program, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary of
providing travel to nonprofit hospitals and medical transportation
organizations. "MD Anderson is honored to be a recipient of this
year's annual LUV Classic," says Richard
Gorlick, M.D., Division Head of MD Anderson Children's
Cancer Hospital. "All funds will support critical research and
programs in our Children's Cancer Hospital that aim to save the
lives of children and young adults with cancer worldwide and
minimize the impact on the patient and their families."
Supporting the Southwest Airlines Employees Catastrophic
Assistance Charity
In addition to supporting deserving children's charities, money
was also raised at the event to support the Southwest Airlines
Employees Catastrophic Assistance Charity. This charity was
started in 1990 and focuses on helping Southwest Employees
suffering severe financial hardship from a catastrophic event in
their lives. These events are typically emergency medical or
personal circumstances, such as home and property damage from the
recent natural disasters that impacted a large number of Southwest
Employees. The money raised at the LUV Classic will help Southwest
Employees as they look to rebuild their lives following these
catastrophic events.
Supporting Dallas Designing Dreams
Participants in the LUV Classic golf tournament each received a
golf club cover designed by the Dallas-based nonprofit, Dallas Designing
Dreams. These unique gifts were created from upcycled Southwest
Airlines airplane seat leather. Dallas Designing Dreams is
supporting skills and training programs for youth, individuals with
disabilities, senior citizens, and other populations in the
community. The collaboration with Dallas Designing Dreams has
produced a line of items such as the LUV Classic golf club covers,
jewelry, backpacks, and luggage tags from the leather seat covers
and old Southwest uniforms.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 47th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines
Co. (NYSE: LUV) continues to differentiate itself from
other air carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by
more than 55,000 Employees to a Customer base topping 115 million
passengers annually, in recent years. Southwest became the nation's
largest domestic air carrier in 2003 and maintains that ranking
based on the U.S. Department of Transportation's most recent
reporting of domestic originating passengers boarded. During peak
travel seasons, Southwest operates more than 4,000 weekday
departures among a network of 100 destinations in the United States and 10 additional countries.
Southwest has announced its intention to sell tickets in 2018 for
service to Hawaii, subject to
requisite governmental approvals.
Southwest coined Transfarency® to describe its
purposed philosophy of treating Customers honestly and fairly, and
low fares actually staying low. Southwest is the only major U.S.
airline to offer bags fly free® to everyone (first
and second checked pieces of luggage, size and weight limits apply,
some carriers offer free checked bags on select routes or in
qualified circumstances), and there are no change fees, though fare
differences might apply.
As launch customer of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 in North America, the Company operates the
largest fleet in the world of Boeing aircraft, all of which are
equipped with satellite-based WiFi. Customers who connect to the
WiFi network may use their personal devices to view on-demand
movies and television shows, as well as nearly 20 channels of free,
live TV.
With a bold new look first unveiled in 2014, Southwest is
progressing through a multi-year refresh of its fleet to showcase
the carrier's Heart: a new logo, aircraft livery, interior
design featuring new seats, Employee-designed uniforms, and an
updated airport experience, all of which showcase a dedication of
Southwest Employees to connect Customers with what's important in
their lives.
From its first flights on June 18,
1971, Southwest Airlines launched an era of unprecedented
affordability in air travel described by the U.S. Department of
Transportation as "The Southwest Effect," a lowering of fares and
increase in passenger traffic wherever the carrier serves. With 44
consecutive years of profitability, Southwest is one of the most
honored airlines in the world, known for a triple bottom line
approach that contributes to the carrier's performance and
productivity, the importance of its People and the communities they
serve, and an overall commitment to efficiency and the planet. The
2016 Southwest Airlines One Report™ can be found at
SouthwestOneReport.com.
Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online
at Southwest.com or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA.
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SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.