Southwest Airlines to build reservations center in Oklahoma City.

OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 13, 1995--Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating; Mayor Ronald J. Norick of Oklahoma City; John Denison, executive vice president-corporate services of Southwest Airlines; and William G. Thurman, M.D., chairman of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce announced today that

"This announcement signals the beginning of a new era of economic growth for our great state," Gov. Keating said. "We are extremely pleased Southwest Airlines has demonstrated this commitment to being such a strong partner in the future development of Oklahoma City and the State of Oklahoma," he added.

The new Oklahoma City Reservations Center will be built on 12 acres of land owned by the Oklahoma City Airport Trust. The site for the new center is located on the northeast corner of 54th and Meridian, just to the north of the airport terminal building and adjacent to the Customs Facility. The facility, scheduled to open this May, will have approximately 46,000 sq. ft. of interior floor space and will accommodate up to 542 work stations for reservations sales agents. When fully operational, the new Center will employ over 1,000 sales agents and supporting management staff.

"We are pleased to announce today that Southwest's ninth reservations center will be built in Oklahoma City. In April, the company will celebrate the 15th anniversary of its commencement of service to Oklahoma, with the new center scheduled to open shortly thereafter," said Denison of Southwest. "The Oklahoma City Reservations Center will make it possible for Southwest to accommodate the expected growth in Customer demand over the nearterm. Many thanks to Gov. Frank Keating and Mayor Ronald J. Norick for their support in making this project economically feasible and to our many faithful Customers in Oklahoma who have significantly contributed to Southwest's success over the past 15 years," he concluded.

Those people interested in applying for the new reservations sales positions should call 800/922-9294 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. any day beginning Saturday, Jan. 14, 1995 through Wednesday, Jan. 18, 1995.

The cost of the completed reservations center will be almost $10 million and will be similar in design to Southwest's newer reservations structures in Houston, Albuquerque, and Little Rock. David Schmitt and Associates and Summit Builders of Phoenix, specialty builders which planned other centers for Southwest Airlines, will also design and build the new reservations center.

Southwest currently operates reservations centers in Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, Phoenix, Chicago, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, and Little Rock, employing over 3,400 reservations sales agents. The airline is currently training about 450 additional sales agents, 50 percent of whom will work at Southwest's newest center in Little Rock and the remainder will work throughout the existing reservations system.

"Oklahoma City is delighted to welcome Southwest Airlines' newest reservations center to our city. Southwest Airlines is a quality company and will be a great addition to our corporate community," said Mayor Norick. "We are also excited about the 1,000 new jobs that will be available to our citizens. We look forward to a long, mutually beneficial relationship with Southwest for many years to come," he concluded.

"The Oklahoma City Chamber has worked closely with the City and State on this project and we are extremely pleased that Southwest Airlines selected Oklahoma City for this new reservations center," said William G. Thurman, M.D., Chairman of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce. "We look forward to working with Southwest to ensure their success in our community."

Southwest Airlines is the first and only major airline to twice capture the industry's "Triple Crown" for its 1992 and 1993 performance, based on statistics published in Department of Transportation (DOT) Air Travel Consumer Reports. The "Triple Crown" consists of the best ontime performance, best baggage handling record, and fewest Customer complaints of all major U.S. carriers. Southwest and its subsidiary Morris Air operate more than 1,800 flights a day with an all-jet fleet of 199 Boeing 737s.

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CONTACT: Southwest Airlines, Dallas

Melanie Jones, 214/904-4413