FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Guitar Center Partners with Southwest Airlines to SurprisePassengers with Ukuleles and In-Flight Lessons
Passengers aboard Southwest Airlines flight from Long Beach to Honolulu were surprised withMitchell Ukuleles and the first in-flight ukulele lesson taught by Guitar Center instructors
Long Beach, CA (September 17, 2022): Guitar Center, the world’s largest musical instrument retailer,
surprised passengers on Southwest Airlines® from Long Beach to Honolulu, with the first-ever in-flightukulele class by Guitar Center on Friday, September 16.
Above the clouds, passengers onboard the Boeing 737-800 aircraft all received a Mitchell MU40 Sopranoukulele, a Road Runner carrying case and a unique lesson in the sky. Best-in-class Guitar CenterLessons instructors taught passengers how easy it is to learn to play the ukulele, one of Hawaii’s happiest
and most familiar instruments – so easy, passengers were able to learn to play the song “Hello, Aloha.
How are you?” during the flight. Passengers on board kicked off their weekend travels flying across thePacific Ocean, unified, one chord at a time, with a sweet-sounding surprise, and an unforgettable travelday to Honolulu.
Alexandra Windsor, educational affairs specialist for Guitar Center Lessons, and Ryan Miyashiro andRyan Imata, Guitar Center instructors at Guitar Center’s Pearl City store, led passengers in a group
lesson to kick off their travel to the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii. “I’ve taught students through Guitar
Center Lessons since 2014, but never in an airplane. It was inspiring to see how quickly passengers of allages picked up the ukulele – many with no musical background. The ukulele is the perfect instrument forbeginners, and it shows just how fun and easy learning something new can be,” said Windsor.
“Our Customers anticipate warm Southwest Hospitality throughout their journeys with us, and these
Surprise and Delight events are a unique way to create memorable experiences,” said Brandy King,
Senior Director of Public Relations at Southwest Airlines. “Today’s celebration of Hawaiian culture andSouthwest Hospitality underscore our everyday commitment to serve and celebrate the spirit of Aloha.”To celebrate the partnership beyond the in-flight entertainment, Southwest Airlines customers and Guitar
Center fans can visit Southwest.fm/ukuleleflight to enter the Ukuleles Take Flight sweepstakes for achance to win round trip air travel on Southwest for a winner and a guest, and two Mitchel MU40 Sopranoukuleles*.
“Playing music is our passion at Guitar Center. Learning an instrument like the ukulele is an enriching andrewarding experience that creates lifelong benefits and memories. We offer Guitar Center lessons inalmost any instrument online and in our stores across the country and for this one-time special flight,
above the clouds! Not many people can say they learned to play a song on a Southwest flight to Hawaii!”
said Donny Gruendler, Guitar Center VP of music education.

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OFWINNING. Open to legal residents of 50 United States and the District of Columbia (excluding Alaska and Rhode Island) age 21 orolder at time of entry. Void where prohibited. Limit one entry per person. All fields must be completed. Approximate retail value ofprize: $960. For complete details and how to enter, see https://southwest.fm/ukuleleflight. By submitting this entry, you agree to theOfficial Rules. By entering, information collected will be used in accordance with Sponsor’s Privacy Policy. Sponsor: Southwest
Airlines Co., 2702 Love Field Drive, Dallas, TX 75235. Enter by September 30, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time.

###ABOUT GUITAR CENTER
Guitar Center is a leading retailer of musical instruments, lessons, repairs and rentals in the UnitedStates. With nearly 300 stores across the United States and one of the top direct sales websites in theindustry, Guitar Center has helped people make music for more than 50 years. Guitar Center also
provides customers with various musician-based services, including Guitar Center Lessons, wheremusicians of all ages and skill levels can learn to play a variety of instruments in many music genres; GCRepairs, an on-site maintenance and repairs service; and GC Rentals, a program offering easy rentals ofinstruments and other sound reinforcement gear. Additionally, Guitar Center's sister brands include Music& Arts, which operates more than 200 stores specializing in band & orchestral instruments for sale andrental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students, and Musician's Friend, aleading direct marketer of musical instruments in the United States. For more information about Guitar
Center, please visit www.guitarcenter.com.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
Southwest Airlines Co. operates one of the world’s most admired and awarded airlines, offering its oneof-a-kind value and Hospitality at 121 airports across 11 countries. Having celebrated its 50th Anniversaryin 2021, Southwest took flight in 1971 to democratize the sky through friendly, reliable, and low-cost airtravel and now carries more air travelers flying nonstop within the United States than any other airline1.
Based in Dallas and famous for an Employee-first corporate Culture, Southwest maintains anunprecedented record of no involuntary furloughs or layoffs in its history. By empowering its more than
62,0002 People to deliver unparalleled Hospitality, the maverick airline cherishes a passionate loyalty
among as many as 130 million Customers carried a year. That formula for success brought industryleading prosperity and 47 consecutive years3 of profitability for Southwest Shareholders (NYSE: LUV).
Southwest leverages a unique legacy and mission to serve communities around the world including
harnessing the power of its People and Purpose to put communities at the Heart of its success. Learn
more by visiting Southwest.com/citizenship. Southwest is also continuing to develop tangible steps
toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, including offering Customers an opportunity to help the airline
offset its carbon emissions. To be part of the solution, visit Southwest.com/wannaoffsetcarbon.
1) U.S. Dept. of Transportation most recent reporting of domestic originating passengers boarded
2)Fulltime-equivalent active Employees
3) 1973-2019 annual profitability

Guitar Center Media Contacts
Edelman | guitarcenter@edelman.com
Guitar Center | media@guitarcenter.com
Southwest Airlines Media Contacts:
Visit the Southwest Newsroom at swamedia.com for multimedia assets and other Company news.
Media Relations Team: swamedia@wnco.com or 214-792-4847, option 1