September 11, 2006

First U.S. airline to implement the industry’s most advanced revenue accounting system

Lufthansa Systems and Southwest Airlines today announced that they have signed a contract for the implementation of the IT provider’s Sirax revenue accounting system. Developed by Lufthansa Systems and Lufthansa Revenue Services, it delivers up-to-the-minute and detailed information for the management and the accounting division, the solution will support Southwest Airlines in speeding up its accounting process and position the company to more efficiently handle increasing volumes and complexity in revenue accounting going forward. The implementation project will start in September 2006, with completion scheduled for early 2008.

"We recognize Sirax as the most advanced revenue accounting system in the market, as we were looking for an IT solution that will support our future business needs. With Sirax we get a system that positions us well for the future" said Laura Wright, Chief Financial Officer at Southwest Airlines.

Sirax controls and manages an airline's accounting process by performing a fully automatic check of ticket sales against specific flight data. Based on this check, the actual revenues are then calculated within a very short timeframe. The solution also allows for the paperless billing of codeshare flights and is thereby yet another step in implementing IATA's initiative “Simplifying the Business”. The Sirax system is a vital controlling tool especially against the backdrop of complex fares, code share agreements, and air travel taxes and fees. The system also provides detailed and timely information for an airline's management and accounting department.

"We are pleased that Southwest Airlines has decided to join the growing worldwide community of Sirax users as the first airline in the U.S," commented Bernd Appel, Senior Vice President Industry Solutions at Lufthansa Systems. ”This demonstrates again that Lufthansa Systems’ solutions manage to address the needs of airlines in all markets and of all sizes.”

This agreement with Southwest Airlines is a further step toward establishing Sirax as the standard revenue accounting solution in the airline market. Carriers all around the world are already working with Sirax to further optimize their revenue accounting processes, among them Finnair, Asiana Airlines, Lufthansa and Royal Jordanian.

Note to editors:

Lufthansa Systems is one of the leading IT service providers for the airline and aviation industries worldwide. As systems integrator, the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group covers the entire range of IT services, including consulting, development, implementation and operation. Lufthansa Systems provides its IT infrastructure and operations services to a variety of industries. Headquartered in Kelsterbach near Frankfurt/Main, Germany, the company has branches in Germany and 17 countries and employs about 4,550 people worldwide. In business year 2005, Lufthansa Systems recorded sales of EUR 635 million.

Southwest Airlines, the largest carrier in the U.S. in terms of domestic passengers enplaned (88 million enplaned passengers in 2005), currently serves 62 cities in 32 states. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,100 flights a day with a fleet of 472 aircraft and has 32,000+ employees systemwide. For the tenth year in a row, FORTUNE magazine recognized Southwest Airlines in its annual survey of corporate reputations. Among airlines, Southwest came out on top as the most admired airline in the world for 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. Southwest Airlines was recognized for its top-notch service and low fares for the third consecutive year by Business Traveler Magazine. The magazine's 2004 "Annual Best in Business Travel Reader Survey" named Southwest as "Best Low Cost Carrier." The survey is conducted by independent research firm, Mediamark Research Inc., and is voted on by the magazine's business travel readers. BusinessWeek along with The Boston Consulting Group named Southwest in their 2006 Top 25 ranking of "The World's Most Innovative Companies."

For further information, please contact:

Lufthansa Systems AG
Sandra Hammer
Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 (0)69 696 90776
Fax: +49 (0)69 696 90777
E-mail: publicrelations@LHsystems.com