REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Watch a video of the Southwest Airlines Wii U console giveaway at http://youtu.be/oxpOWk6MkFE.

Nintendo and Southwest Airlines^® surprised a full flight today, giving every single Customer on board a free Wii U console. More than 100 passengers on flight 1883 from New Orleans to Dallas Love Field received Nintendo’s HD video game system after they were greeted upon arrival by Mario himself. Mario surprised the Customers with a special announcement during the flight, and Nintendo and Southwest Airlines representatives were on board to share in the fun.

The surprise kicked off a larger partnership between Nintendo and Southwest that will bring big smiles to thousands of travelers through the fun and interactive entertainment of Nintendo video game systems and games during this busy holiday season. As the official video game partner of Southwest Airlines, Nintendo is setting up Wii U Gaming Lounges in some of Southwest’s most heavily trafficked airports between now and Dec. 22. Passengers can pass the time before boarding by playing Super Mario 3D World and other newly released games, if their travels take them through the following airports: Dallas Love Field, Chicago (Midway), Denver, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and St. Louis. Up to four players can join the fun at each game kiosk for free.

“No one is better than Nintendo and Southwest Airlines at bringing friends, families and fun together,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “As Southwest’s video game partner, our aim is to bring smiles to travelers and Southwest Employees through the fun of Nintendo video games.”

“Southwest Airlines continues to look for ways to have fun with our Customers and partnering with Nintendo will do just that,” said Kevin Krone, Southwest Airlines Chief Marketing Officer. “Much like Southwest, Nintendo delivers enjoyment and passion and we look forward to bringing the fun to our Customers nationwide.”

Consumers nationwide can also join the fun. Between now and Dec. 25, visitors to http://www.southwest.com/nintendo can enter for a chance to win one of 30 prize packages containing a pair of Southwest Airlines roundtrip tickets and one Wii U system. A new winner will be selected every day. Visit the website for full rules and details.

The Wii U console brings the innovation of a second screen to the world of video games, thanks to the touch-screen capabilities of the Wii U GamePad controller. It plays the latest HD games from Nintendo, and includes social interaction via Nintendo’s Miiverse. It also plays the full library of Wii games and is compatible with accessories like the Wii Remote and Wii Balance Board.

With a variety of home consoles and hand-held systems offered at various price points and a lineup of great games featuring classic characters that can’t be played anywhere else, Nintendo offers travelers the best entertainment options to deliver smiles for the holiday season and beyond.

Remember that Wii U features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii U^™ and Wii^™ home consoles, and Nintendo 3DS^™ and Nintendo DS^™ families of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System^™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.1 billion video games and more than 659 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL, as well as the Game Boy^™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi^™ and Nintendo DSi XL^™, Super NES^™, Nintendo 64^™, Nintendo GameCube^™ and Wii systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario^™, Donkey Kong^™, Metroid^™, Zelda^™ and Pokémon^™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.

Note to editors: Nintendo press materials are available at http://press.nintendo.com, a password-protected site. To obtain a login, please contact Deanna Avila at 213-438-8742 or davila@golinharris.com. Users can receive instant Nintendo information by subscribing to the site’s RSS feed.

About Southwest Airlines Co.:In its 43^rd year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) continues to differentiate itself from other carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by more than 45,000 Employees to more than 100 million Customers annually. Southwest is the nation’s largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers boarded, and including wholly-owned subsidiary, AirTran Airways, operates the largest fleet of Boeing aircraft in the world to serve 96 destinations in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and five near-international countries. Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world, known for its triple bottom line approach that takes into account the carrier’s performance and productivity, the importance of its People and the communities it serves, and its commitment to efficiency and the planet. The 2012 Southwest Airlines One Report^™ can be found at southwest.com/citizenship.

Southwest Airlines

From its first flights on June 18, 1971, Southwest Airlines launched an era of unprecedented affordability in air travel quantified by the U.S. Department of Transportation as “The Southwest Effect,” a lowering of fares and increase in passenger traffic wherever the carrier serves. On every flight, Southwest offers Customers the first two pieces of checked luggage (weight and size limitations apply) and all ticket changes without additional fees. Southwest’s all Boeing fleet consistently offers leather seating and the comfort of full-size cabins, many of which are equipped with satellite-based WiFi connectivity and a new, sustainable cabin interior. With 40 consecutive years of profitability, the People of Southwest operate nearly than 3,200 flights a day and serve communities around 89 airports in Southwest’s network of domestic destinations. Southwest Airlines’ frequent flights and low fares are available only at southwest.com.

AirTran Airways

AirTran Airways, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines Co., offers coast-to-coast and near-international service with nearly 500 flights a day to 44 destinations. The carrier’s high-quality product includes assigned seating and Business Class. As Southwest continues to integrate AirTran’s People, places, and planes into Southwest Airlines, Customers of both carriers may book flights at airtran.com and exchange earned loyalty points between both AirTran’s A+ Rewards^® and Southwest’s Rapid Rewards^® for reward travel on either airline.