The day after the Atlanta airport first welcomed Southwest Airlines Inc. flights, the the low-cost carrier's chief executive reached out to the local Hispanic business community.

Southwest CEO Gary Kelly attended the Latin American Chamber of Commerce of Georgia's breakfast meeting on Feb. 13.

“Atlanta is a wonderful city, we see it as a great opportunity where we can contribute, where we can grow,” he said at the event, according to a chamber news release. 

The event was part of a broader community outreach effort tied to opening long-anticipated service to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport following Southwest's purchase of AirTran Airways.

The airline also launched LUV Grants for Good, which will provide $150,000 for Georgia nonprofits through an essay contest.

After breakfast with the Latin Americans, Mr. Kelly attended a launch ceremony at the airport. Other dignitaries on hand included Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Hartsfield General Manager Louis Miller.

Southwest started 15 flights to five nonstop destinations from Atlanta, including Austin, Texas; Baltimore/Washington, Chicago Midway, Denver and Houston. On March 10, the airline will add service to Las Vegas and Phoenix. June 10 will bring an Atlanta-Los Angeles flight.  

While AirTran has flights to Mexico and the Caribbean, Southwest has no international flights and no plans to start them, spokeswoman Olga Romero told GlobalAtlanta by email. 

Still, the Hispanic market domestically is vital to its business. 

"Southwest Airlines was born out of business travel, and we know the Hispanic market is growing tremendously," Ms. Romero said. "Also, we are proud to be partners to the communities we serve, and what better way to start our service than speaking to a group of great influencers in the city of Atlanta." 

Visit southwest.com/luvgrants for more information on the essay contest or visit www.southwest.com. 

Visit www.laccgeorgia.org for more information on the chamber. Formerly the Mexican-American Business Chamber, the new Latin American chamber is hosting a roundtable on business opportunities in Latin-America on Feb. 29. Click here for more details. 

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