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Southwest Airlines Announces New Service to San Jose, Costa Rica

millie-richter-
Frequent Flyer C
What an exciting week for Southwest Airlines!  After unveiling the Company's bold new look on Monday, today Southwest's Chairman, President & CEO Gary Kelly announced that the airline has filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation to add its first destination in Central America with daily roundtrip service between Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI) and Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in San Jose, Costa Rica, beginning March 7, 2015.   The service would link the countries’ capital regions through Southwest’s value and legendary Customer Service. “We’re ready to add the adventure and beauty of Costa Rica to a growing horizon of international possibility available to the more than 100 million Customers who fly with us each year,” said Gary, before a breakfast meeting of the Greater Washington Board of Trade in Washington, D.C.  “Our People and policies bring unique value to the travel experience and we have big plans to extend that value to international destinations where our Customers want to go.  Our substantial presence in Baltimore/Washington is a natural place to do that by bringing nonstop access to new, international markets.” Costa Rica will be the sixth near-international country served by Southwest Airlines from its U.S. gateway cities and the first new destination in the carrier’s network after the integration of wholly owned subsidiary AirTran Airways is completed by the end of this year.  Service to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic*, and Mexico City begins November 2, 2014, as Southwest converts existing AirTran service in those international destinations.  Southwest began service this summer to Aruba, The Bahamas, Jamaica, and both Cancun and San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos, Mexico.  Tickets to San Jose, Costa Rica, will be available for sale as soon as the necessary Department of Transportation approvals are secured. *subject to foreign government approval