Southwest Airlines was founded in 1966 by Herbert Kelleher and Rollin
King, and in 1967 it was incorporated as Air Southwest Co. Three other airlines took legal action to try to prevent the company from its planned strategy of undercutting their prices by flying only within
Texas and thus being exempt from various regulations. The company
prevailed in court, and began flying passengers on July 1, 1971.
The airline operates more than 700 Boeing 737 aircraft and serves 107
destinations in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and six countries in Central
America and Mexico.
Today, Southwest Airlines is the nation's largest domestic carrier,
with more than 3200 flights per day serving 95 destinations in 40
states. The airline has a fleet of more than 700 aircraft, employs more
than 56,000 people worldwide, and generates annual revenues of more than
$19 billion.