Southwest Airlines Announces Chuck Magill As Vice President Flight Operations

DALLAS, -- Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV)announced that Chuck Magill has been named Vice President Flight Operations. In his new role, Magill will report directly to Executive Vice President and Chief of Operations, Mike Van de Ven.

As Vice President Flight Operations, Magill will have the primary responsibility for serving approximately 5,500 Flight Operations Employees. This includes the carrier’s Pilots, Crew Planning/Scheduling/Payroll, and Flight Training and Administration. He will also develop and implement policy and procedures to ensure safe and efficient flight operations at Southwest.

Magill began his Southwest career in 1993 as a First Officer and was promoted to Captain in 1998. He has held a variety of Leadership positions since then, including Houston Assistant Chief Pilot, Houston Chief Pilot, and Regional Chief Pilot. He most recently held the position of Senior Chief Pilot where he was responsible for the management of Southwest’s Pilot Bases, grievance resolution with the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), and the day-to-day activities of Flight Operations. Some of Magill’s other Leadership accomplishments include being a Check Airman since 2000, graduating from Southwest’s MIT II Leadership Program in 2005, and participating in the company’s Adopt-A-Pilot community relations program.

“Chuck’s Leadership philosophy is simple -- it is The Golden Rule,” said Mike Van de Ven. “He knows the importance of Teamwork and motivating Employees. I am very excited about his vision for Flight Operations, and I look forward to working with him.”

Southwest Airlines was named to Business Week’s first ever list of “Customer Service Champs.” The Business Week list, which appeared in the March 5, 2007 issue, ranks the best providers of Customer Service, and digs into the techniques, strategies, and tools they use to deliver great service. Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), the nation’s largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers enplaned, currently serves 63 cities in 32 states. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,200 flights a day and has more than 32,000 Employees systemwide.