Chairman of the Board, President & CEO of Southwest Airlines Co., Gary Kelly will be speaking in Austin at the downtown Omni Hotel on Friday September 18th at an 8 a.m. breakfast.

Kelly will talk on "21st Century Aviation: A Committment to Technology, Energy, and Climate Solutions." He will brief attendees on the airline industry's impact on Texas, as well as the future direction for Southwest's Dallas-based operations.

U.S. Congressmen Michael McCaul and Lamar Smith will be attending and will give a few opening words, followed by introductions from Texas' Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones.

"This topic is not only a Texas interest but an interest and issue of national importance," said State Representative Tan Parker, Vice Chairman of the House Technology, Economic Development & Workforce Committee from Dallas.

Southwest Airlines is celebrating 36 years of consecutive profitability, recently being named #1 in Customer Satisfaction by the Department of Transportation for the year 2008. For the 13th year in a row, Fortune magazine listed Southwest Airlines among America's most admired corporations.

Kelly has received many awards and recognitions, including being named one of Business Travel News' 25 Most Influential Executives of 2004.  He was a finalist for "Texan of the Year" by the Dallas Morning News editors in 2005, and was honored with the 4th "Friends of Texas Public Schools Friend of the Year Award" in 2008.

He was also named, by Institutional Investor magazine, as one of the best CEOs in America for 2008 and 2009.

Tickets can still be purchased online.