Airline provides a critical lifeline to patients seeking medical care by donating 13,000 tickets for round trip air travel

DALLAS, Nov. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) is celebrating 17 years of partnering with nonprofit hospitals and medical transportation organizations to provide round trip air travel for patients and caregivers who are unable to access care in moments when they need it most. The Southwest Airlines^® Medical Transportation Grant Program aims to ease the financial burden on patients and their families by helping to make healthcare needs accessible and connecting patients to the life-saving care they need with free transportation to medical facilities nationwide.

Since the program's inception, Southwest^® has donated more than $56.6 million in air transportation for thousands of patients and caregivers traveling for life-changing medical care. In 2024, Southwest supported 79 organizations across 26 states and 40 cities by providing round trip air travel, amounting to 13,000 Southwest tickets.

"We've seen that patients often aren't near a hospital or can't afford air travel to a medical facility that provides the care they need," said Laura Nieto, Managing Director Corporate Responsibility at Southwest Airlines. "Travel is often an important part of critical care needs, and it's an honor to use our unique role as an airline to get patients closer to life-saving care."

Visit the Medical Transportation Program page for a complete list of partners and to learn more about the program or watch a program highlight video on our YouTube channel.

About Southwest Airlines Co.

Southwest Airlines Co. operates one of the world's most admired and awarded airlines, offering its one-of-a-kind value and Hospitality at 117 airports across 11 countries. Southwest took flight in 1971 to democratize the sky through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel and now carries more air travelers flying nonstop within the United States than any other airline¹. Based in Dallas and famous for an Employee-first corporate Culture, Southwest maintains an unprecedented record of no involuntary furloughs or layoffs in its history. By empowering its more than 73,000² People to deliver unparalleled Hospitality, the maverick airline cherishes a passionate loyalty among more than 137 million Customers carried in 2023. That formula for success has brought industry-leading prosperity and 47 consecutive years³ of profitability for Southwest Shareholders (NYSE: LUV). Southwest leverages a unique legacy and mission to serve communities around the world including harnessing the power of its People and Purpose to put communities at the Heart of its success. Learn more by visiting Southwest.com/citizenship. As the airline with Heart, Southwest has set a goal to work toward achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050⁴. Southwest has also set near-term targets and a three-pillar strategy to achieve its environmental goals. Learn more by visiting Southwest.com/planet. 

 ¹ Based on U.S. Dept. of Transportation quarterly Airline Origin & Destination Survey since Q1 2021 

 ² Fulltime-equivalent active Employees 

 ³ 1973-2019 annual profitability 

 ⁴ Southwest's net zero by 2050 goal includes Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 Category 3 emissions only and excludes any emissions associated with non-fuel products and services, such as inflight service items.   

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SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.