Southwest Airlines Named Official Airline of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 30th Annual Convention & Business Expo

Southwest Airlines was named the official airline of the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s (USHCC) 30th Annual National Convention & Business Expo which will be celebrated this year Sept. 16-19 in Denver, Colorado.

“It is an honor to be named the official airline of this annual business event. The US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) will gather more than 3,000 business owners in an important conversation about the economy,” said Christine Ortega, Corporate Community Affairs manager for Southwest Airlines. “We are proud to contribute to this organization and to be part of the effort to spur economic growth in our nation.”

Ortega also serves on the Senior Executive Corporate Advisory Board providing advice and input to USHCC leaders as needed. In support of the event, Southwest Airlines will team with the Chamber to offer the Chamber’s members information about specific products like Business Select and DING! that can save the business travelers time and money. In addition, Southwest Airlines will provide five lucky Chamber members with complimentary airfare to the convention when they register online at www.ushcc.com/convention by September 4, 2009.

In addition to support of organizations like the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Southwest Airlines provides assistance to minority owned businesses who want to become certified suppliers of the airline through its Supplier Diversity program. Richard Moore, Southwest Airlines’ Director of Supplier Diversity, serves as the liaison through the chamber’s Procurement Executive Corporate Advisory Board.

“We are very proud to have Southwest Airlines as the official airline of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s annual convention,” said David Lizárraga, Chairman of the Board of the USHCC. “Southwest Airlines has been a key partner for many years and their dedication to and support of the Hispanic business community is strong. We look forward to this opportunity to continue strengthening our longstanding corporate relationship as it gives our members the freedom to fly.”

About the USHCC’s 30th Annual National Convention & Business Expo

Founded in 1979, the USHCC has held an annual convention each year, visiting various cities across the United States and Puerto Rico over the past thirty years. It is known as the most important national event for the Hispanic Business community on an annual basis. The USHCC’s 30th Annual Convention is made possible with the support of Wells Fargo, its official Alianza partner; Southwest Airlines, the official airline of the USHCC’s 30th Annual National Convention; and Sprint, its official wireless provider. For an updated list of partners and potential sponsorship information, visit www.ushcc.com/convention.

About Southwest Airlines

After nearly 38 years of service, Southwest Airlines, the nation’s leading low-fare carrier, continues to stand above other airlines—offering a reliable product with exemplary Customer Service, and without punitive fees. Southwest Airlines is the most productive airline in the sky and offers Customers a comfortable traveling experience with all premium leather seats and plenty of legroom. Southwest recently updated its gate areas and improved its boarding procedure to make flying Southwest Airlines even more convenient. Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), the nation’s largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers enplaned, currently serves 65 cities (adding Boston Logan and Milwaukee later this year) in 33 states. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,300 flights a day and has more than 35,000 Employees systemwide. “

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