OREANDA-NEWS. Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) launched initial service to Mexico with inaugural flights over the weekend that bring new flight options offering the value and legendary Customer Service delivered by the Employees of Southwest, the United States' largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers boarded1. The nonstop routes previously served by wholly owned subsidiary AirTran Airways now operate daily between Orange County/Santa Ana and San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos, Mexico, and between Cancun and both Atlanta and Baltimore/Washington.

Saturday-only service on Southwest between Milwaukee and Cancun begins Aug. 16, 2014.

The Company plans to fully convert all international and domestic service currently flown by AirTran to Southwest by the end of this year. The carriers' flights schedules are published through Mar. 6, 2015, and are available for purchase at southwest.com.

"The favorite beach destinations of our Mexico-bound Customers also are great additions to a portfolio of leisure destinations where we offer a way to connect our Customers to important experiences and memories, whether family vacations, reunions, adventure, or pure relaxation," said Andrew Watterson, Southwest's Vice President of Network Planning and Performance. "Introducing Southwest service on these nonstop routes brings additional seats every day offering the value of Bags Fly Free® and No Change Fees, and our ready-made Customer base of millions of vacationers ready to hit the beach."

"Californians already represent the majority of visitors from the U.S. to Los Cabos, and Mexican visitors to Southern California are also the largest group by nationality of all foreign visitors. The bilateral relationship is already very robust and will continue to grow with this new flight," said The Honorable Alejandra Garcia Williams, Consul General of Mexico in Orange County, Calif., before the inaugural Southwest flight to San Jose del Cabo departed John Wayne Airport. "On behalf of the Government of Mexico, please join me in wishing Southwest airlines continued success in this historic expansion to Mexico."

AirTran Airways continues to operate daily service between Mexico City and Orange County/Santa Ana until the route converts to Southwest Airlines service on Nov. 2, 2014.

Southwest Airlines began international service on July 1 with flights to Oranjestad, Aruba; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Nassau, The Bahamas, in the Caribbean. International service from Denver begins Oct. 7. Additional international service from Chicago (Midway), Austin, and San Antonio begins Nov. 2, the same day Southwest Airlines begins serving Punta Cana, Dominican Republic*, and Mexico City.