Southwest Airlines began as Air Southwest, a proposed short-haul carrier linking Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston. After years of legal challenges, it launched service on June 18, 1971, with three jets and $20 one-way fares. The milestones below draw primarily on Southwest’s own published history and investor materials, so they describe the company’s account rather than a complete, independently verified chronology.
The idea behind Air Southwest
Southwest’s official history says Rollin King, an amateur pilot and entrepreneur, brought lawyer Herb Kelleher an idea in late 1966: an intrastate airline connecting Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston. The original company was called Air Southwest. This origin story comes from Southwest’s retrospective account, not an independent historical analysis.
Southwest’s investor-relations FAQ gives Air Southwest’s incorporation date as March 9, 1967. A separate company-history story gives March 15, 1967; the company’s published sources do not explain the discrepancy. The investor FAQ says the company adopted the Southwest Airlines name in March 1971.
The legal fight before the first flights
Southwest’s account describes early opposition from Braniff, Trans-Texas Airways, and Continental as a series of battles over its right to offer service. The company’s legal-history article records an unsuccessful appeal in State District Court on March 12, 1969. That account establishes the company’s description of the dispute and a dated court event; it is not a complete case timeline or an independent analysis of the proceedings.
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Southwest begins flying in 1971
On June 18, 1971, three Southwest jets began flying routes linking Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston. Southwest’s legal-history article says the one-way fares were $20. Its company overview also identifies June 18 as the start of service from Dallas Love Field to San Antonio and Houston. These are the launch details in the company’s own published account.
Selected milestones after launch
Southwest’s FAQ identifies New Orleans in 1979 as its first destination outside Texas and says international flying began in 2014. Those dates mark two important steps beyond the original intrastate network; they do not, by themselves, describe every stage of the airline’s later route expansion.
Two company-reported stock-market dates refer to different events. Southwest’s investor FAQ gives June 8, 1971, as the date of its initial public offering. The company history FAQ says its common stock first listed on the American Stock Exchange on October 24, 1975. The IPO date and the later exchange-listing date should not be treated as interchangeable.
Southwest’s FAQ also says the airline operated Boeing 727s for short periods in 1979 and the mid-1980s, and gives the company’s stock ticker as LUV. These details come from the airline’s own summary rather than a broader fleet or financial-market history.
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How Southwest describes its purpose
Southwest’s history homepage says: “Since 1971, Southwest’s purpose has been to connect People to what’s important in their lives and give them the freedom to fly through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel.” This is the company’s statement of purpose, not an independent assessment of its service or its historical impact.
Southwest also describes open seating as a policy in place since the airline’s founding in 1971, in a 2021 investor announcement about a company-history podcast. That supports the company’s account of the policy’s origins, but not a full history of how its seating policies have evolved.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Sources and scope
The company-origin account and selected milestones in this article come from Southwest’s own history and investor-relations materials. They provide a useful outline of how Southwest tells its story, but do not establish a complete chronology through 2026 or an independently corroborated account of the legal proceedings and the airline’s subsequent development.
Quick Recap
- Southwest Airlines history homepage
- Southwest’s founders and company-origin story
- Southwest’s legal-history account
- Southwest company overview
- Southwest history FAQ
- Southwest investor-relations FAQ
- Southwest’s 2021 investor announcement about its company-history podcast
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