Southwest Airlines announced Wednesday that pilots approved a deal that will give them a pay raise and allow the carrier to purchase larger planes. 

More than 75 percent voted in favor of the new deal according to the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association.  Southwest and Boeing are in talks already to change roders from Boeing 737-700 planes to 737-800s. Southwest expects the first delivey of the new planes to arrive in early 2012. 

Additional seats obviously means more people can fly with the airline, which means more revenue in the end.  The 5,600 Southwest pilots will receive a pay increase of at least two percent next September and profit-based raises the following September.