* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] UH, PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING [Economic Development Announcement Press Conference on December 12, 2025.] OUR SPEAKERS, INCLUDING GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT. YES. AM I LEAVING? YEAH, I THINK, AM I PICKING IT OFF? I THINK SO. ALRIGHT. WELL, LISTEN, UH, THIS IS AN, AN ENORMOUS DAY. I, I'M PROUD TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS WITH EVERYBODY CONNECTED WITH SOUTHWEST AS WELL AS WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN ON A HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR SOUTHWEST AS WELL AS FOR THE ENTIRE STATE. SOUTHWEST AIRLINES IS AN AIRLINES THAT WAS BORN IN TEXAS, RAISED IN TEXAS, AND HAS BEEN A CORE ELEMENT OF THE GROWTH THAT WE'VE SEEN IN OUR STATE. YOU KNOW, THE, THE HEAD OF SLOGAN, WHICH YOU MAY STILL HAVE AS FAR AS I KNOW, AND THAT AS SOUTHWEST AIRLINES IS THE COMPANY PLANE. THAT WAS TRUE FOR ME. I KNOW IT'S BEEN TRUE FOR SO MANY PEOPLE ACROSS OUR STATE. IT WAS SO CONVENIENT TO HAVE SOUTHWEST AIRLINES JUST HOP ON A FLIGHT AND BE ABLE TO GET TO SOME OF THE LOCATION IN OUR STATE, AND THEN INCREASINGLY GET TO THE LOCATIONS OUTSIDE OF OUR STATE. AND AS SOUTHWEST HAS GROWN, SO HAS OUR ECONOMY. AN AIRLINE AND AN AIRPORT ARE CORE ELEMENTS TO GROWING ECONOMIC GROWTH. AND AS WE'VE SEEN SOUTHWEST GROW, THE TEXAS ECONOMY HAS GROWN NOW TO BE THE MOST PROLIFIC ECONOMY IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. THEN WHEN SOUTHWEST RECENTLY DECIDED THEY WANT TO ACHIEVE ANOTHER EXPANSION THAT WILL LEAD TO 2000 MORE EMPLOYEES AND A CORE BASE OF OPERATION AS SOUTHWEST CONTINUES TO GROW, WE KNEW THAT WE WANTED THAT PROJECT TO BE LOCATED IN TEXAS AND LOCATED RIGHT HERE IN AUSTIN. SO WE ARE SO EXCITED ABOUT AN ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY THAT WE'LL ADD 2000 MORE HIGH PAYING JOBS RIGHT HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. STARTING OUT THESE JOBS WILL AVERAGE ABOUT $180,000. I WAS TALKING BACKSTAGE, SAID, LISTEN, THESE PEOPLE GET PAID MORE THAN THE GOVERNOR OF TEXAS. IMPORTANT, VERY IMPORTANT TO ME IS THAT AS, AS PART OF THE FUNDING FOR THIS PROJECT, SOME OF THESE JOBS ARE GONNA BE DEDICATED TO OUR VETERANS. TEXAS IS THE NUMBER ONE STATE FOR VETERANS. WE MUST BE THE NUMBER ONE STATE FOR, UH, PROVIDING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE VETERANS. AND TO ASSIST. BECAUSE THIS PROJECT IS SO IMPORTANT TO OUR STATE, THE STATE WANTED TO STEP UP AND PROVIDE AN INVESTMENT. UH, IN THIS PROJECT, TEXAS IS PROVIDING $14 MILLION THROUGH THE TEXAS ENTERPRISE FUND WITH 375,000 OF THOSE DOLLARS GOING TO HIRING THOSE VETERANS TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE GONNA HAVE GOOD PAYING JOBS WORKING FOR SOUTHWEST AIRLINES. I WANT THANK THE OH BOARDING, UH, I WANT, I WANT THANK THE, THE LEADER OF TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ADRIANNA CRUZ, WHO JOINS WITH US HERE TODAY. THANK YOU, ADRIANA. I WANNA THANK THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND THEIR LEADERSHIP FOR BEING A PART OF THIS BECAUSE FOR ONE, IT WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT THEM, BUT FOR ANOTHER, THEY ARE A GREAT PARTNER IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR THIS ENTIRE REGION. AND I WANNA THANK SOUTHWEST AIRLINES. TO SOUTHWEST AIRLINES IS A CORE ELEMENT OF THE GROWING TEXAS ECONOMY. TEXAS RANKS NUMBER ONE IN AMERICA FOR THE MOST NEW JOBS. NOW WITH THIS BOOST OF 2000 MORE JOBS THAT WILL JUST EXTEND TEXAS' LEAD AS THE NUMBER ONE STATE IN AMERICA FOR JOBS. ALSO, TEXAS RANKS NUMBER ONE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. THIS WILL ADD TO THAT GROWTH ALSO. AND WE ARE THE HOME OF MORE ECONOMIC [00:05:01] OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR FELLOW TEXANS THAN ANY OTHER STATE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. AND WE KNOW A KEY REASON FOR THAT IS BECAUSE OF EVERYTHING THE SOUTHWEST AIRLINES PROVIDES. SO A BIG THANK YOU FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS TO SOUTHWEST AIRLINES. AND NOW MAYOR KIRK. WHAT? THANK YOU VERY MUCH, GOVERNOR. WELL, FOLKS, IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. GOVERNOR, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR BEING HERE AND FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR AUSTIN, AND AS YOU'VE SAID FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS, MR. JORDAN. THANK YOU AND SOUTHWEST AIRLINES FOR YOUR WORK. AND IMPORTANTLY, THANK YOU FOR THE PARTNERSHIP BEHIND THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. UH, THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE CITY, THE STATE AND SOUTHWEST TO GET TO THIS AGREEMENT SENDS A VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE. IT SENDS AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO TOGETHER TO BENEFIT THE PEOPLE OF THIS CITY AND THIS STATE. YOU KNOW, AUSTIN OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS HAS BEEN PRIORITIZING AFFORDABILITY. WE'VE DONE A LOT OF REALLY GOOD WORK ON THAT FRONT BY SIGNIFICANTLY CUTTING REGULATORY RED TAPE AND ENACTING POLICIES THAT ARE NATIONAL MODELS IN ORDER TO INCREASE OUR HOUSING STOCK. THAT'S ONE SIDE OF THE AFFORDABILITY COIN MAKE THINGS AFFORDABLE BY REDUCING THEIR COST. WE'RE ALSO ENTHUSIASTICALLY FOCUSED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN, PUTTING MORE MONEY INTO AUSTINITES POCKETS SO THAT THEY CAN AFFORD MORE AND THEY CAN AFFORD TO STAY IN AUSTIN. AS OUR CITY SUCCEEDS AND AS IT GROWS, THAT REQUIRES AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARADIGM THAT EMPHASIZES GETTING AUSTINITES INTO WELL PAYING CAREERS SO THEY CAN AFFORD TO BUILD THEIR LIVES. HERE WE'RE RESPONDING TO THEIR NEEDS BY EFFECTIVELY UPSKILLING AUSTINITES WITH THE TRAINING THAT'S NEEDED TO CAPITALIZE ON ALL OF OUR GREAT ECONOMIC SUCCESS. THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH SOUTHWEST AIRLINES IS KEY TO ACHIEVING OUR GOALS. IT'S A NEW STANDARD. IT'S AN EXCITING, EXEMPLARY DEMONSTRATION OF AUSTIN'S SUCCESS AND ITS COMMITMENT TO THE SUCCESS OF ITS PEOPLE, OUR PARTNERS REPRESENTED HERE AT THIS DAIS. AND THIS AGREEMENT WILL CHANGE THE ECONOMIC TRAJECTORY FOR SO MANY PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. THROUGH ONE OF THE SINGLE LARGEST EMPLOYER EMPLOYEE JOB EXPANSION EFFORTS THIS CITY HAS SEEN IN RECENT YEARS, WE ARE PUTTING AUSTINITES INTO AUSTIN JOBS AND THEY ARE JOBS THAT WILL SUSTAIN THEIR FAMILIES. I'M PROUD THAT YESTERDAY THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED A PERFORMANCE-BASED AGREEMENT THAT WILL CREATE THE THOUSANDS OF NEW JOBS FOR AUSTIN HEIGHTS AND MAKE SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS IN OUR AIRPORT, IN OUR WORKFORCE, AND IN OUR COMMUNITY. SOUTHWEST, BY BUILDING OUT ITS TRAINING BASE AND INCREASING ITS CAPACITY WILL CREATE NEW STEPPING STONES FOR FOLKS TO ENTER THE AVIATION INDUSTRY, MAKING A LIVING WAGE AND GETTING HEALTH BENEFITS FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES. AND I CAN'T OVERLY STRESS WHAT AN IMPACT THAT WILL MAKE FOR AUSTINITES. AND I'M VERY THANKFUL FOR THE THOUGHTFULNESS AND DEDICATION OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, ALL OF THEM. BUT I'M REALLY PROUD TO BE JOINED TODAY BY MAYOR PRO TEM VANESSA FUENTES, WHO REPRESENTS THE DISTRICT WHERE THIS AIRPORT IS LOCATED. AND I DEEPLY APPRECIATE CITY MANAGER TC BROAD ACTS, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, DR. ERIC JOHNSON AND THEIR TEAM WHO WORKED ON THIS. THEY DESERVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE. THIS AGREEMENT WON'T JUST CREATE JOBS AND DIRECT BENEFITS FOR INDIVIDUAL AUSTINITES AND THEIR FAMILIES. IT WILL ALSO DELIVER POSITIVE OUTCOMES FOR OUR BUSINESSES AND OUR TOURISTS. SOUTHWEST FOOTPRINT IN OUR COMMUNITY IS EXPANDING AND THAT EXPANDS OUR CITY'S SUCCESSES. SOUTHWEST IS SHOWING THAT THEY CARE ABOUT AUSTIN THROUGH THEIR INVESTMENTS IN THE CITY'S CHILDCARE ASSISTANCE RESERVE FUND, WHICH MARKS ITS FIRST MAJOR CONTRIBUTION TO A DEDICATED PROGRAM THAT SUPPORTS [00:10:01] CHILDCARE AFFORDABILITY. FOR AUSTIN'S WORKING FAMILIES, THAT MEANS MORE CHILDCARE, TYPICALLY THE SECOND HIGHEST COST BEHIND HOUSING IN HOUSEHOLDS WITH KIDS. THIS AGREEMENT ALSO INCLUDES PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE AUSTIN INFRASTRUCTURE ACADEMY THROUGH K THROUGH 12 YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. COLLABORATIONS WITH THE INFRASTRUCTURE ACADEMY MEANS MORE TRAINING. IT MEANS MORE TRAINING PARTNERS AND MORE INTERNSHIPS, MORE SOUTHWEST AIRLINE STAFFING, MORE GATE ACTIVITY, MORE AIRCRAFT AVAILABILITY, MORE RELIABILITY, MORE OPTIONS FOR THOSE WHO FLY IN AND OUT OF AUSTIN. MORE JOBS FOR AUSTINITES, MORE CHILDCARE, MORE TRAINING, AND MORE INTERNSHIPS. SO MUCH MORE. AND IT'S BECAUSE SOUTHWEST UNDERSTANDS AUSTIN, THEY'VE BEEN A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY FOR DECADES, AND THEY UNDERSTAND WHERE WE'RE AT AND WHERE WE WANT TO GO. AND IT'S BECAUSE AUSTIN LEADERSHIP IS LOOKING FOR THESE OPPORTUNITIES. FOLKS, THIS AIRPORT IS HUMMING. WE'RE BUILDING LIVES AND CAREERS AT THE SAME TIME. WE'RE BUILDING TARMAX AND TERMINALS, THE CEO OF OUR AIRPORT. GHISLAINE BADI AND HER TEAM HAVE BEEN AT THE HELM OF OUR AIRPORTS EXPANSION PROGRAM. JOURNEY WITH A US GHISLAINE WAS VERY HELPFUL IN MAKING THIS DEAL HAPPEN. SHE AND HER EXCELLENT TEAM ARE MANAGING THE CHANGE OUT HERE SUCCESSFULLY, SUCCESSFULLY, AND THEY'VE MOVED WITH INCREDIBLE SPEED TO UPDATE, UPGRADE, AND EXPAND A US TO ACCOMMODATE AUSTIN'S SUCCESSFUL FUTURE. WE'RE STRENGTHENING AUSTIN FAMILIES AT THE SAME TIME WE'RE STRENGTHENING AUSTIN'S INFRASTRUCTURE. SO THANKS TO SOUTHWEST, THANKS TO THE STATE OF TEXAS AND GOVERNOR ABBOTT. AGAIN. THANK YOU BOB JORDAN AND GOVERNOR ABBOTT, THANKS TO THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL, AND THANKS TO OUR CITY'S PROFESSIONAL STAFF. I DEEPLY APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU. WHAT A GREAT DAY TO BE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. AND NOW I AM VERY PLEASED TO TURN IT OVER TO OUR PARTNER AT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES, CEO, BOB JORDAN. WELL, THANK YOU, MAYOR. YOU KNOW, WHEN HE, WHEN YOU, YOU, YOU, WHEN YOU THANK MR. JORDAN, I WAS LOOKING FOR MY DAD, . I WASN'T SURE IF HE WAS HERE OR NOT, BUT NO, UH, UH, THE JOY OF GOING THIRD IS ALL THE, YOU KNOW, ALL THE REMARKS HAVE ALREADY BEEN USED UP. RIGHT. BUT, UH, HEY, I CAN'T THANK EVERYBODY ENOUGH. GOVERNOR, UH, MAYOR, IT JUST THANK YOU FOR THE WELCOME TO AUSTIN AND THANK FOR YOUR, YOUR SUPPORT AND JLA, UH, THE CEO OF THE AIRPORT. THANK YOU HAVE DONE SO MUCH TO MAKE THIS A REALITY. WE, WE, I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT YOUR LEADERSHIP. THESE PROJECTS ARE DIFFICULT AND HARD. IT'S SO JUST A HUGE THANK YOU. AND, UM, THANK YOU. AND MAYOR, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, IT TAKES A LOT TO GET THIS ACROSS THE FINISH LINE. YOU, YOU'VE BEEN WITH SOUTHWEST AIRLINES FOR A LONG TIME AND A HUGE PARTNER, AND WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOU. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AS WELL. THANK YOU. AND GOVERNOR, I, I JUST CAN'T, UH, TELL YOU WHAT A PLACE OF BUSINESS YOU HAVE CREATED IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN, UH, SOUTHWEST HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR 54 YEARS AND, UH, YOU KNOW, HERB LAUNCHED SOUTHWEST HERE IN THE LONE STAR STATE, AND WE'VE BEEN WITH AUSTIN ALMOST ALL THAT TIME. I THINK HERB ALSO LAUNCHED, YOU KNOW, THE LARGEST WILD TURKEY FRANCHISE IN THE LONE STAR STATE AS AS WELL. BUT, UM, WE'VE GROWN TO BECOME ONE OF THE LARGEST PRIVATE EMPLOYERS HERE IN THE STATE. THE LARGEST DOMESTIC AIRLINE IN THE WHOLE UNITED STATES. UM, AND I JUST CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP. WE'RE GONNA GROW OUR PRESENCE IN AUSTIN SIGNIFICANTLY BECAUSE OF, OF THIS PARTNERSHIP THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO STRIKE AND CONTINUE TO GROW. AND IT'S JUST A HUGE THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS AND ALL THAT YOU DO FOR SOUTHWEST AIRLINES. THANK YOU. AND I, I, I DON'T KNOW, WE THANKED ALL THESE FOLKS, BUT I'VE GOTTA SAY IT AGAIN AS WELL. SO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UH, ADRIANA CRUZ, JUST THANK YOU. THIS, AGAIN, IT TAKES A LOT TO GET ALL OF THIS DONE. SO A HUGE THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK TO GET THIS DONE. AND TO OUR, UH, CITY MANAGER TC, WE GO WAY BACK. WE DID A LOT OF WORK IN DALLAS TOGETHER, AND NOW WE'RE DOING WORK HERE IN AUSTIN TOGETHER. UH, YOU, YOU'VE BEEN A LONG TIME FRIEND AND PARTNER OF SOUTHWEST, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP TO ALSO GET THIS [00:15:01] ACROSS THE FINISH LINE AND NOT LAST, AND NOT LEAST TO OUR MAYOR PRO TEM AND, AND THE CITY COUNCIL. UH, SAME THING. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK TO SUPPORT THIS WITH THE COUNCIL AND AGAIN, TO, UH, TO MOVE THIS PROJECT ALONG. SO WE APPRECIATE YOU VERY MUCH AS WELL. BUT WE ARE RUN, AS YOU CAN TELL, WE ARE RUNNING AN AIRLINE AND, UH, UH, MY, UH, THE BIGGEST PLACE IN MY HEART IS ALWAYS FOR OUR SOUTHWEST AIRLINES PEOPLE. THERE, THERE ARE, THERE'S NOBODY, NO GROUP OF PEOPLE ON THE PLANET, LIKE THE PEOPLE OF SOUTHWEST AIRLINES, THEIR HEART FOR SERVICE, THEIR HEART FOR FUN, THEIR HEART FOR HOSPITALITY IS WHAT MAKES SOUTHWEST DIFFERENT. I ALWAYS SAY WE BRING A LITTLE JOY AND HUMANITY TO AN INDUSTRY THAT YOU DON'T FIND THAT JOY IN HUMANITY WITH THOSE OTHER CARRIERS. OUR PEOPLE ARE THE BEST. I LOVE Y'ALL. SO THANK YOU FOR BUILDING AUSTIN AS WELL. YEAH. YOU KNOW, SOUTHWEST HAS BEEN IN AUSTIN SINCE 1977, ALMOST FIVE DECADES. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE, WE'VE GROWN TOGETHER. WE'VE ACTUALLY MOVED AIRPORTS TOGETHER, MAYOR, I THINK THAT WAS, UH, UNDER, UNDER YOUR FIRST UH, TERM. AND SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. UH, WE'VE ADDED FLIGHTS. WE NOW HAVE, UH, OVER 50 NONSTOP DESTINATIONS. BUT I THINK EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES DOESN'T JUST COME IN AND AND BRING PLANES IN AND OUT. WE'RE HERE TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY AND OUR PURPOSE, OUR, OUR PEOPLE AS PART OF THEIR PURPOSE. THEY SERVE, THEY LIVE HERE, THEY SERVE HERE, THEY SERVE THE CAUSES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO US TONIGHT. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU TO OUR PEOPLE FOR DOING THAT. AND IF YOU, IF YOU, IF YOU'VE BEEN PAYING A LITTLE ATTENTION TO THE NEWS, UH, THERE'S A BIT OF A TRANSFORMATION GOING ON IN SOUTHWEST AIRLINES. WE'VE, IN THE PAST YEAR, UH, OBVIOUSLY WE'VE ANNOUNCED THE MOVE TO ASSIGNED SEATING AND EXTRA LEG ROOM. WE'VE GOT PARTNERS AROUND THE WORLD THAT CAN NOW GET YOU EVERYWHERE. UH, FROM, UH, TAIPEI TO LONDON, WE'VE ANNOUNCED NEW CITIES LIKE ST. THOMAS AND ST. MARTIN AND, UH, ANCHORAGE, AND JUST SO MANY THINGS GOING ON AT SOUTHWEST. SO I'M JUST REALLY PROUD OF THAT TRANSFORMATION, UH, AND IT'S FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. BUT I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO JANUARY 27TH WHEN WE MOVE TO ASSIGNED SEATING AND EXTRA LEG ROOM, IT'S GONNA BE GREAT. SO THIS TRANSFORMATION AT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES IS ALL ABOUT MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR CUSTOMERS. AND I'M JUST REALLY PROUD OF OUR PEOPLE FOR ALL THAT THEY'VE DONE IN THE LAST YEAR. BUT WE ARE HERE TODAY, UH, TO ANNOUNCE THAT IN MARCH, NOT THREE YEARS FROM NOW, IN MARCH, WE'LL OPEN A NEW CREW BASE HOME IN AUSTIN FOR OUR PILOTS. AND, OKAY, CAN YOU TELL, CAN YOU TELL THIS IS SOMETHING EVERYBODY OUR SOUTHWEST FOLKS HAVE WANTED. SO, UM, AND AS THE, AS THE GOVERNOR SAID, 2000 NEW JOBS, 2000 GREAT NEW JOBS, AND IT'S GONNA TRIPLE THE WORKFORCE THAT WE HAVE HERE IN AUSTIN. UH, BUT MORE THAN IMPORTANTLY THAN THAT EVEN, IT JUST UNDERSCORES THE, THE IMPORTANCE THAT AUSTIN HAS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST AIRLINES AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW OUR FRANCHISE. SO I'M JUST SO EXCITED AND IT GIVES THAT, ALONG WITH THE NEW TERMINAL AND I, I WE'RE, WE'RE HOPING FOR 18 GATES. I DID PUT IN A LITTLE PLUG FOR 20 GATES , BUT IT GIVES US A CHANCE ALONG WITH A CREW BASE TO GROW OUR 130 FLIGHTS A DAY TODAY TO SOMETHING WELL OVER 200. SO, SO, BUT THE, UH, WHAT WE OFFER, UH, TO, TO, TO TEXAS AND CENTRAL TEXAS AND AUSTIN IS JUST GOING TO CONTINUE TO GROW MORE AND MORE. AND WE HAVE NOTICED THAT THERE ARE SOME OTHER AIRLINES THAT ARE A LITTLE INTERESTED IN AUSTIN , AND WE HAVE NOTICED THAT THEY FALL IN AND OUTTA LOVE. THOUGHT THAT'D BE REALLY FUNNY, WITH, UH, WITH AUSTIN. BUT KNOW THIS, WE HAVE BEEN FAITHFUL TO AUSTIN FOR 50 YEARS THE SAME WAY AUSTIN AND TEXAS HAS BEEN FAITHFUL TO US. WE'RE HERE TO STAY. WE'RE HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. WE'RE GONNA KEEP GROWING. WE AIN'T GOING NOWHERE. AND AS I WRAP UP, I DO, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO JUST TALK QUICKLY ABOUT THE ECONOMIC IMPACT. I MEAN, WITH THE 2000 JOBS ARE FANTASTIC, BUT STUDIES WOULD SAY THAT'S GOING TO, THAT'S GONNA GROW ANOTHER SEVEN TO 8,000 JOBS ON TOP OF THAT IN SUPPORT IN HEALTHCARE AND REAL ESTATE AND MANUFACTURING [00:20:01] AND OTHER AREAS. SO THIS IS GREAT FOR THE LOCAL ECONOMY. SO MORE JOBS HERE AND IT'LL SUPPORT CIVIC OPPORTUNITIES. SO WE'RE JUST, THIS IS JUST FANTASTIC ALL THE WAY AROUND, BUT IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT BUSINESS, AS I SAID AT THE BEGINNING, IT'S ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP THAT WE HAVE HERE AT EVERY LEVEL. IT'S ABOUT OUR GRATITUDE FOR BEING YOUR HOMETOWN CARRIER THAT WE DO NOT TAKE FOR GRANTED. IT'S ABOUT BRINGING PEOPLE TO AUSTIN TO VISIT FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND TAKING AUSTINITES TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. IT'S ABOUT THE 50 YEARS THAT WE'VE GOT HERE TOGETHER AND GROWING THAT. AND IT'S ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA DO ACROSS THE NEXT DECADE TOGETHER THAT I JUST CANNOT WAIT TO SEE. AND JUST KNOW THAT WE LOVE AUSTIN, WE LOVE OUR PEOPLE, WE LOVE OUR CUSTOMERS, AND WE LOVE YOU. AND WE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT TODAY. THANK Y'ALL. AND THANK YOU. AND WITH THAT, MY FRIEND TC, THANK YOU BOB. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY. I KNOW YOU, YOUR WORK TAKES YOU MANY, MANY PLACES AND SO WE'RE JUST GRATEFUL TO HAVE YOU HERE WITH US THIS MORNING. I ALSO WANNA WELCOME GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT, UH, TO AUSTIN STROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. UH, IT'S AN HONOR TO HOST YOU AND YOUR TEAM, AND WE'RE SO APPRECIATIVE OF THE ROLE THAT THIS IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT, UH, HAS PLAYED IN YOUR PARTICIPATION IN YOUR LEADERSHIP, UH, AS IT RELATES TO THE ECONOMIC BOOM THAT WE KNOW THAT THIS PARTICULAR AGREEMENT, UH, WILL BE, OF COURSE, THIS WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT OUR MAYOR KIRK WATSON, UH, WHO IS THE DETERMINED AND PASSIONATE ADVOCATE FOR THE CITY AND OUR CITY COUNCIL MAYOR PRO TIM, WHO IS ALSO HERE, WHO APPROVED THIS AGREEMENT YESTERDAY. UH, THIS, I WON'T SAY IS UNPRECEDENTED, BUT THIS HADN'T HAPPENED IN A LONG TIME HERE IN AUSTIN, SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT IT. I ALSO WANT TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANKS, UH, TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, CURRENTLY BEING LED BY INTERIM DIRECTOR ANTHONY RA, PARTICULARLY THEIR BUSINESS INCENTIVE AND EXPANSION TEAM WHO WORK VERY HARD TO MAKE THIS ACTUALLY COME TO FRUITION. I ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE AND THINK AS SHE'S BEEN THANKED ALREADY, AIRPORT, CEO GHISLAINE MADI FOR HER LEADERSHIP AND HER TEAM'S STEADFAST DEDICATION TO BOTH AIRPORT CUSTOMERS AND OUR BUSINESS PARTNERS FOR AUSTIN. THIS STRATEGIC EXPANSION WILL NOT ONLY CREATE JOBS IN OUR AREA AND IMPROVE THE FLYING EXPERIENCE FOR CUSTOMERS TRAVELING OUT OF A US IT WILL MAKE AUSTIN'S ENTIRE ECONOMIC ECOSYSTEM MORE COMPETITIVE, HELPING US ATTRACT NEW BUSINESSES TO THE AREA AND BOLSTER OUR ALREADY THRIVING TOURISM AND CONVENTION INDUSTRIES. SOUTHWEST INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY DOESN'T JUST SEND A MESSAGE OF SUPPORT FOR AUSTIN, BUT DEMONSTRATES THEIR BELIEF IN OUR ABILITY TO DELIVER BIGGER, BETTER, AND MODERN AUSTIN STROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ACTIVITY TO BOB AND THE SOUTHWEST TEAM. WE KNOW YOU HAVE MANY OPTIONS FOR AIRPORTS TO PARTNER WITH, AND WE ARE SO GRATEFUL, SO GRATEFUL THAT YOU HAVE SELECTED US TO CONTINUE TO INVEST IN THIS AIRPORT BEYOND THAT. AND BEFORE WE OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS, I ALSO WANT TO THANK SOUTHWEST AIRLINES FOR YOUR LONG HISTORY OF GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY HERE. IN 2024 ALONE, SOUTHWEST INVESTED OVER $300,000 IN LOCAL GIVING, ACROSS 55 NONPROFITS IN OUR COMMUNITY, SUCH AS KEEPING AUSTIN BEAUTIFUL, THE DELL VALLEY ISD EDUCATION FOUNDATION, THE HISPANIC WOMEN'S NETWORKS OF TEXAS SEEDLING MEMBERS, CASA MOUL, LOAVES AND FISHES, AND AUSTIN SUNSHINE CAMP, AND MANY, MANY MORE. AND THAT'S JUST, THANK YOU. THEY SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED. THAT'S JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG. GIVEN THE LONG, STRONG RELATIONSHIP SOUTHWEST HAS HAD WITH AUSTIN, WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS EXPANDED RELATIONSHIP IN MANY MORE YEARS OF SOUTHWEST AS A PREMIER MEMBER OF OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND AS A VALUED PARTNER IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO, BOB, AGAIN, IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU. I HOPE I GET TO SEE YOU MORE OFTEN. I ENJOY WORKING WITH YOUR TEAM. OUR TEAM HAS BEEN COMMITTED, AND WE WANT TO GROW THIS PARTNERSHIP EVEN MORE. AND SO NOW WE WILL OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS FROM THE MEDIA, SHOULD THEY HAVE ANY [00:25:04] OKAY, I'M SORRY. I I, DID YOU HEAR IT? YEAH, YEAH. WE, WE, WE, WE EXPERIMENT. SO THE QUESTION WAS ABOUT OUR, OUR SATELLITE FLIGHT, UH, UH, ATTENDANT BASES. AND WE EXPERIMENT WITH THINGS ALL THE TIME BECAUSE WE HAVE FOLKS THAT LIVE ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND THEY COMMUTE. AND SO WE EXPLORED THAT AND, UH, AND JUST DECIDED THAT THE, AND THEY WERE SMALL, VERY SMALL, THAT, THAT THE PERMANENT BASES MADE A LOT MORE SENSE AND A MUCH LARGER INVESTMENT IN THE COMMUNITY, AND IT'S JUST BETTER FOR OUR OPERATION, WHICH MEANS WE CAN ADD MORE AND MORE FLIGHTS AT THE AIRPORT. SO THAT WAS REALLY AN EXPERIMENT. SO THE SATELLITE BASE WAS THIS BIG, THIS BASE IS THIS BIG. SO THE TWO THANK YOU. YOU GOT A MICROPHONE? ALL RIGHT. YEAH. UH, WHERE, WHERE DOES THE $5.5 MILLION COME FROM? THANK YOU. GREAT QUESTION. YOU ASKED WHERE THE 5.5 MILLION COMES FROM. IT WILL COME FROM THE CITY'S GENERAL FUND AND OTHER RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE. UH, IT'S A FIVE YEAR AGREEMENT. UH, SO WE WILL BE SEEDING THAT, UH, WHETHER THAT'S THROUGH OUR SALES TAX, UH, THAT ARE DERIVED, UH, IN THE CITY PROPERTY TAX, AS WELL AS OTHER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUNDS THAT WE HAVE FOR THE CITY AND FOR THE EXPANDED SOUTHWEST FACILITIES. UH, WHERE WILL THEY BE LOCATED? ARE THEY GONNA OPERATE OUT OF THE AIRPORT? AND WILL YOU GUYS NEED ADDITIONAL OFFICE SPACE OR OTHER FACILITIES TO KIND OF SUPPORT ALL THESE NEW EMPLOYEES COMING TO THE AREA? YEAH, THERE'S, THERE'S ALWAYS, THERE'S A LIMIT TO THE SPACE AT THE AIRPORT, AND WE WE'RE MOVING THINGS AROUND. SO THE CREW BASE IS LOCATED HERE. WE HAVE AN IN-FLIGHT TRAINING CENTER THAT WILL BE LOCATED OFF, OFF AIRPORT. AND THEN WHEN THE NEW CONCOURSE B IS IS CONSTRUCTED, THAT'S WHERE THE CREW BASE, UH, WILL BE FOR BOB. UH, THIS WASN'T YOUR ONLY OPTION ON THE TABLE. UM, WHY AUSTIN? WELL, I MEAN, AUSTIN IS, EVERYBODY WANTS A PART OF AUSTIN. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK MY, MY MEMORY IS AUSTIN IS FORECASTED BY 2040 TO BE THE FOURTH OR FIFTH LARGEST COUNTRY, UH, CITY IN THE COUNTRY. THE TREMENDOUS GROWTH, TREMENDOUS, UH, GROWTH IN THE ECONOMY. AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE WANT TO BE. I, AND WE LOVE AUSTIN. WE'VE BEEN HERE FROM THE, NEARLY THE VERY BEGINNING. SO YOU, IN ORDER TO CONTINUE TO GROW, AIRLINES HAVE TO PLAN WELL IN ADVANCE. IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO BUILD FACILITIES. IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO EXPAND AN AIRPORT. AS, AS YOU KNOW, JUST THE STUDIES ALONE CAN TAKE NEARLY A DECADE. SO THIS IS ALL ABOUT, UM, BEING WHERE THE BUSINESS IS. AND THAT BUSINESS IS IN AUSTIN, AND THAT'S BUS, THAT BUSINESS IS IN TEXAS. I WAS ON A, I WAS TELLING THE, UH, GOVERNOR, UH, I THINK LAST WEEK I WAS ON A PANEL IN NEW YORK CITY FOR A, FOR A CONVENTION I WAS SPEAKING AT, WITH SIX OTHER CEOS. AND I CAN TELL YOU THEY ARE ENVIOUS OF WHAT HAS BEEN CREATED IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND I GOT A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW IN THE WORLD OF TEXAS PULL THAT OFF. WHY IS THE ECONOMY SO HOT IN THE STATE OF TEXAS? AND IT'S THE BUSINESS CLIMATE THAT YOU'VE CREATED. AND OF COURSE WE WANT TO BE PART OF THAT. SO WE'RE PLANNING WELL IN ADVANCE TO GROW FROM ONE 30 TO ONE 50 TO 180 TO 200 TO 220 FLIGHTS. SO, UH, WE LOVE AUSTIN. GOVERNOR, YOU MENTIONED THAT $14 MILLION, UH, SOME OF THAT GOING TOWARD AN INCENTIVE FOR VETERANS. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHERE ELSE THAT FUNDING WILL GO, WHERE THE REST OF THE FUNDING WILL GO IS, IS GOING, UH, LISTEN, THE FUNDING WILL GO TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS PROJECT IS GONNA BE ABLE TO GET OFF THE GROUND AND, AND TO BOOST THE PROJECT TO, TO MAKE IT MORE EFFICIENT, UH, FOR SOUTHWEST TO BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE ITS GOALS. UH, THESE ARE, UH, WITH THE TEXAS ENTERPRISE FUND, UH, THESE ARE FUNDS THAT ARE PROVIDED BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE FOR THE STATE TO INVEST STRATEGICALLY IN PROJECTS THAT WE KNOW ARE GONNA BE ADDING MORE HIGH PAYING JOBS IN THIS STATE. UH, AND THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST PROJECTS I'VE SEEN, UH, WITH SUCH HIGH PAYING JOBS, ESPECIALLY WITH A COMMITMENT TO OUR VETERANS. AND WE ARE PROUD TO MAKE THIS INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE OF SOUTHWEST AIRLINES. DIDN'T CATCH. SO WOULD YOU HAVE CHOSEN AUSTIN WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, WOULD YOU HAVE CHOSEN AUSTIN WITHOUT THE ECONOMIC SENTENCE? THE, WE, UM, WE ALWAYS LOOK AT WHERE IT MAKES SENSE TO PLACE A BASE, UH, BASED ON OUR NETWORK. WE'RE FLOWING AIRCRAFT AND CREWS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SO AUSTIN, GIVEN ITS SIZE AND GROWTH, HAS BEEN A CRITICAL CONSIDERATION FOR QUITE A WHILE. BUT I CAN ABSOLUTELY TELL YOU THIS ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP MADE THIS DECISION EASY. AND WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, THOSE DECISIONS ARE ALWAYS DIFFICULT BECAUSE CAPITAL IS SCARCE. [00:30:01] SO, UH, UH, STATE AND LOCAL, YOU MADE THIS AN EASY ONE FOR US. AND, AND WE'RE, UH, BUT AUSTIN HAS ALWAYS BEEN AT THE TOP OF THE LIST. ONE MORE QUESTION FOR, AND, UH, THIS IS FOR GISLE. UM, COULD YOU TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT ON HOW THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WITH SOUTHWEST INFLUENCES FUTURE PLANNING AND FUTURE EXPANSION AT THE AIRPORT, AND HOW QUICKLY, UH, AUSTIN CAN GROW ITS AIRPORT? NO, WE WANT TO THANK SOUTHWEST INLINE FOR THE INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY. THE CREATING A CREW BASE HAS ITS DIRECT IMPACT ON THE, THE NONSTOP FLIGHTS, THE BENE THE BENEFITS GO TO THE TRAVELING PUBLIC. IT'LL BE NOT MORE NONSTOP FLIGHTS, IT'LL IMPROVE THE RELIABILITY AND THE RESILIENCY OF OUR OPERATION, ESPECIALLY DURING PEAK TIME TRAVEL TIMES, DURING THE WEATHER EVENTS, THE IRREGULAR OPERATION. AND IT'LL HELP ALSO OUR LOCAL ECONOMY, ADDING THE CONNECTIVITY, BRINGING TOURISM TO AUSTIN. AND WE'RE SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY IN ADDITION TO THE NEW CONCOURSE, THE ADDITIONAL FLIGHTS, IT'S GREAT PARTNERSHIP WITH WITH THE SOUTHWEST. AND I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK THE GOVERNOR. WE APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP, WE APPRECIATE THE VISION, THE STRATEGIC VISION THAT HELPS TEXAS BE NUMBER ONE IN JOB CREATION AND HELPING US HERE IN AUSTIN AND ACROSS THE STATES. WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALSO THE MAYOR, KIRK WATSON, FOR YOUR SUPPORT FOR THIS INITIATIVE AND CITY MANAGEMENT. THIS IS EXCITING TIME FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN. EXCITING TIME FOR THE AUSTIN AIRPORT, AND WE CAN THANK EVERYBODY THAT'S BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS INITIATIVE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU EVERYONE. THAT CONCLUDES OUR MEDIA Q AND A. WE'RE GONNA TAKE A QUICK PHOTO, JUST THE WAY EVERYBODY IS RIGHT NOW. WE'RE GONNA DO ONE PHOTO, AND THEN AFTER THIS PHOTO, I'M GONNA ASK THOSE BEHIND TO EXIT TO YOUR RIGHT. AND I'D LOVE TO JUST GET ONE OF ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS. SO WE'RE GONNA DO THE GROUP PHOTO RIGHT NOW AND. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.