Southwest CEO Gary Kelly Rings Opening Bell at NYSE

Southwest Airlines 737-7H4 N936WN (36643/2909)

arrives Los Angeles. (Photo by Michael Carter)

Gary and some other Southwest people did the honors because today Thursday June 18 marks the 38th anniversary of Southwest's first flights between Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

Of course, Southwest is bigger today. In six and a half months of 1971, Southwest flew 154.6 million available seat miles. In May 2009, it averaged 278.2 million available seat miles a day. In other words, by 6 p.m. Thursday, the carrier probably will have flown more that day than it did in all of 1971.

Another reason Gary & Co. were in New York is that they're preparing for the June 28 launch of service at New York LaGuardia.As another promotional effort, they're sponsoring a restaurant, the "Southwest Porch" in New York's Bryant Park, just west of the New York Central Library between W. 40 and W. 42 and east of Sixth Avenue. That's nine miles southwest of LaGuardia and 1,562 miles northeast of Southwest's headquarters.

To mark the airline's birthday, Southwest is offering "a complimentary adult beverage for every customer," the airline says in a press release.

We're told Kelly handed out cupcakes and coffee outside the exchange prior to the 8:30 a.m. CDT opening bell, but we have no video of that.

(Dallas Morning News - Airline Biz Blog)