The winglets have gotten a major boost from Southwest Airlines Co.

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In the past five years, the airline industry has seen the combinations of Delta with Northwest, United with Continental and Southwest Airlines Co. with AirTran.

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Twenty-five years ago, that company was Southwest Airlines Co. ( LUV), which went on to gain a reputation as one of the best run companies in the country.

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Steve Landes, who runs a Florida organization of travelers who commute by air between home and business, says many frequent travelers are switching to Southwest Airlines Co.

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Although it also had its share of cancellations in the midst of those storms, the best candidate appeared to be Houston-based Southwest Airlines Co. ( LUV), which showed a solid profit over winter 2009-10 in spite of the weather.

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There are also some symbols that have a dubious relationship to their owners, such as (NYSE: KO) of Coca-Cola Company (were CO or COLA taken?) and (NYSE: LUV) for Southwest Airlines (a bit cutesy).

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