Southwest Airlines Releases Shark Week Fleet In Celebration Of Discovery Channel's 30th Anniversary Of Televised Event

DALLAS, July 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) in partnership with Discovery Channel launched a Shark Week Fleet this morning with five aircraft entering the Southwest® network of 99 destinations and operating more than 4,000 daily flights. The five aircraft celebrate the 30^th anniversary of Shark Week, one of the most popular and longest-running televised events in history. Each aircraft proudly displays custom artwork featuring a species of shark often showcased in a Shark Week episode. The Great White Shark and Hammerhead Shark aircraft launched from the carrier's home base of Dallas Love Field (DAL); the Tiger Shark aircraft launched from Chicago (Midway) (MDW); the Bull Shark aircraft launched from Houston (Hobby) (HOU); and the Mako Shark aircraft launched from Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX).

Customers can visit FlightAware.com from a desktop device to track the Shark Week Fleet via custom-created shark icons, which have replaced the site's traditional airplane icons. To see past and future shark flights, Customers can search FlightAware.com by each aircraft's tail number: Great White Shark (N470WN), Hammerhead Shark (N705SW), Mako Shark (N961WN), Tiger Shark (N553WN) and Bull Shark (N947WN). The information page for each shark-themed aircraft will showcase a custom Shark Week logo. We encourage our Customers and Aviation Enthusiasts to share their plane-spotting photos of our Shark Week Fleet with @SouthwestAir using the hashtag #SharksTakeFlight. 

The aircraft will fly throughout the Southwest system through August 31, 2018.

"Entering our fifth consecutive year of partnership with the Discovery Channel, we are thrilled to celebrate Shark Week's 30^th anniversary in an even bigger way by launching an entire fleet of Shark Week aircraft and premiering a Shark Week episode onboard our flights, letting our Customers have the first view of Shark Week content," said Brandy King, Director of External Communications who oversees the airline's Brand Partnerships and Entertainment Public Relations initiative. "Each year, our Customers and Employees share our Shark Week enthusiasm and look forward to joining the fun with our airport and onboard activations!"

Customers flying with Southwest can enjoy jawsome content via the Onboard Entertainment Portal's custom Shark Week TV Series Channel. The Shark Week TV Series Channel houses a library of Shark Week episodes that are sure to feed your appetite until Shark Week airs on Discovery Channel beginning Sunday, July 22. Shark Week will continue through July 29 and can be viewed via Live TV onboard a Southwest flight. Beginning July 11, Shark Week premieres a never-before-seen episode of Great White Abyss for Southwest Customers via the Shark Week TV Series Channel two weeks ahead of its worldwide release during Shark Week. Great White Abyss showcases an expedition to Mexico's Guadalupe Island, a hot spot for Great White Sharks.

For those adventure seekers, enter the Dare to Dive sweepstakes from July 1 through July 31 via Southwest.com/sharkweek for a chance to win a five-day, all-inclusive Great White Shark cage diving trip. Southwest and Discovery will send a winner and a guest roundtrip to San Diego, with transportation to Guadalupe Island to experience Great White Shark diving firsthand. The excursion will take the winner and the winner's guest from Southern California to Guadalupe Island, Mexico with Islander Charters, aboard the same boat as shown in Shark Week's Great White Abyss pre-premiering onboard Southwest flights on July 11.

You can be sure that Shark Week 2018 will celebrate the 30-year milestone with new, jaw-dropping shark stories and groundbreaking insight into some of the world's most unique shark species in the world. Viewers can anticipate episodes filmed all over the globe, from California to South Africa, and learn about different species of sharks, from Great Whites to Makos. Who knows, maybe the Megalodon will even make an appearance.

For images of the Shark Week Fleet, visit the Southwest Newsroom at swamedia.com/sharkweek.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.  A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.  Void where prohibited.  Open to legal residents of 48 contiguous United States and the District of Columbia, excluding Florida and New York, age 21 at time of entry.  Limit one entry per person.  All fields must be completed.  Approximate retail value of prize: $8,300.  For complete details and Official Rules, visit http://www.southwest.com/sharkweek.  By submitting this entry, you agree to the Official Rules.  By entering, information collected will be used in accordance with Sponsor's Privacy Policy at Southwest.com.  Sponsor: Discovery Communications, LLC, 1 Discovery Place, Silver Spring MD 20910.  Enter by July 31, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. C.T.

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.

In its 48th 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 57,000 Employees to a Customer base topping 120 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 99 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 45 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 2017 Southwest Airlines One Report can be found at SouthwestOneReport.com.

Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online at Southwest Airlines or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA.

SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.