New Service between Beantown and the City of Brotherly Love

[Bill]

Good morning folks!  When we first announced our new service to Boston (BOS) last year , one of the most frequently-asked-for markets was BOS-Philadelphia (PHL).  It wasn't in the initial plans---but starting June 27th, we're jumping in with five daily roundtrips!  Flights and fares are available now at southwest.com !

While we're at it, next time you're flying on Southwest through Philadelphia,  check out our expanded facilities, which are being "christened" today with a ribbon-cutting celebration.  Great new digs 
call for great news--and the coming of PHL-BOS service fits the bill.  
Happy booking, everyone!

[Mike_Hillwig]

I was just complaining last week that you weren't flying BOS-PHL. This makes me happy.

[Anonymous681]

Southwest Airlines! You are the best airline ever! Let's hope you will add Hawaii and Atlanta soon!:)

[Anonymous681]

Southwest Airlines! You are the best airline ever! Let's hope you will add Hawaii and Atlanta soon!:)

[chrisnh]

Please don't let Boston cannibalize Manchester and Providence. Those markets have been great performers for Southwest, and will continue to be. If Southwest can maintain a strong presence at OAK and SJC while opening SFO, they can surely maintain a good level of service at MHT and PVD while building Boston. I'm hoping for that kind of philosophy, anyway.

[TJ]

Good news for Boston as this route really needed some low fare competition. Bad news for the regional airports of Boston (Manchester and Providence) who have been so loyal to Southwest, since they will likely take yet another reduction in service so that Logan can have more flights. Boston now has an amazing array of low cost service to almost everywhere and is drawing low fare seekers that would normally fly from Manchester and Providence. Please, please, please fare match from all 3 Boston airports (sale fares too) to all onward markets so as to not canibalize your other faithful regional airports.

[James_Fields]

I wonder how many larger people will be ejected from these flights because they aren't movie star perfect? I wonder how many employees will embarass customers who are overweight, simply because of some arbitrary rule made to make more money by having smaller seats? Your company is just as bad as Montgomery, Alabama in the 1950s and I hope you go out of business soon. James

[chrisnh]

TJ for President.

[YourNameHere]

Fantastic! BOS needs this!! This is the only litte tidbit that I could find about it though.... is there more info anywhere?

[I__3_PHL_to_BOS]

This news makes me so happy! Although flying into Providence isn't too inconvenient, I hate asking my friends to navigate RI in order to pick me up. I agree with TJ, though - please fare match and keep in mind that Manchester and Providence have helped maintain the loyalty of your Northeast customers who travel to Boston.

[Anonymous2009]

I wonder how many larger people will be ejected from these flights because they aren't movie star perfect? I wonder how many employees will embarass customers who are overweight, simply because of some arbitrary rule made to make more money by having smaller seats? Your company is just as bad as Montgomery, Alabama in the 1950s and I hope you go out of business soon. James You can't be serious, right? Every airline has a customer of size rule. Every 737 flying IN THE WORLD with coach seating has seats that are the same width as Southwest's 737's...this is based on the width of the cabin, not a companies decision. So, Southwests seats are the same width as everyone elses.....oh, the seat pitch is about 2" GREATER than most competitors, which means on Southwest you get MORE ROOM than on most other carriers. So, please enlighten me, James, how is it that Southwest is as bad as Montgomery in the 50's? Airlines--all of them--sell space. If that space is aboard a 737, the space is a cube 17.5" wide, 32-33" deep, and from floor to ceiling. If you do not fit in that space, you need to buy more space. It is that simple.

[Really_Bored]

So when are you guys going to apologize to Kevin Smith?

[Anonymous1741]

If you could stand to lose a few pounds don't bother getting a ticket- unless you want to risk being publicly humiliated by some power tripping Southwest employee that is having a bad day. It doesn't matter if you can fit in the seat, pull the armrests down, and use the seat belt without an extender (as Kevin Smith was able to do)- if a Southwest employee doesn't like the look of you and deems you fat you're toast. Luv, a former SW customer

[Anonymous1811]

Negative comments that I try to post seem not to get through but ones written in favor of southwest or disparaging fat people go through just fine. When is your company going to apologize to Kevin Smith in a way that 1. accepts responsibility for rude and poorly trained emplyees and 2. does not shift blame to the victim or assert half truths about safety? If Kevin Smith fit in the seat and the pilot did not see him then what really happened? Try not being a bunch of corporate group-think liars for once.

[Anonymous1982]

Finally, thank you for starting this. BOS-PHL has been dying for competition since AirTran left. Regarding mr. former southwest customer. Kevin Smith had purchased two seats originally. Southwest should never have allowed him to board the aircraft with one seat left. THANK YOU Southwest for kicking more fat people off planes/enforcing the two seat policy. The US has a huge weight problem. Get out and exercise people, stop eating at mcdonalds, go running or at least hit the gym...

[luvfa]

I'm very happy to see us add this route. It is one of the highest fares in the Northeast and no doubt the "Southwest Effect" will draw even more traffic for this route. I was so sure this was going to be a success, that I was going to bring this up at the Message to the Field in MCO next week. Glad I don't have to!

[luvfa]

I'm very happy to see us add this route. It is one of the highest fares in the Northeast and no doubt the "Southwest Effect" will draw even more traffic for this route. I was so sure this was going to be a success, that I was going to bring this up at the Message to the Field in MCO next week. Glad I don't have to!

[Amy24]

Could the trolls please stay on their particular page and post comments to the other thread that they are referring to? give it a break

[Anonymous3309]

Glad to see BOS is getting even more LUV! This will be a great addition to the network. I just wish the other cities from 2009 would see some growth like BOS has. Oh and those trolls for larger Customers including Kevin Smith still lingering around here, save your favorite SWA agents the work and buy two seats if you think you need it. What happened to taking responsibility for your own actions? By being proactive, you'll save yourself the potential embarrassment of someone confirming that you actually do need a second seat. As a bonus the flight doesn't fill up, you'll get the refund. That's pretty nice for a business to give back for a product you used.

[Ian_Sampson]

Now that Southwest will be flying non-stop between Philadelphia and Boston, why don't they bring back the non-stop flights that they dropped out of PHL to Hartford, Columbus, New Orleans, San Antonio, Austin, Los Angeles, and Oakland. Maybe this gate expansion and new route is a sign that Southwest is committed to Philadelphia.

[Gary11]

...And the Captain came back to get me!!!.....thanks to 2 of SW finest I was able to board my 1801 flt from Dulles after failing miserably to negotiate the snow and the tram on 2/2. Please let me know how I can let the big Gary know the quality of his team and why this is the only airline I fly. I have been telling this story every day!

[southwestfreak]

Sweet, but im still flying from Manchester

[Anonymous1664]

Manchester NH just can't catch a break these days....so sad! Hopefully another airline will begin service to Manchester and take advantage of the empty terminal and soon to be brand new access road! How About: United....MHT-DEN? MHT-SFO? Airtran...MHT-STL, MHT-ATL? Delta....MHT-BNA, MHT-MSP? And in June 2010 USAirways can add flights from MHT-PHL, MHT-PIT. Its too bad Southwest didn't use MHT to its full extent?

[Anonymous2194]

Keep the chin up Bill and keep adding to the service. I always enjoy hearing about what you guys have in mind next. I keep thinking that MKE-STL makes some sense but you've got the super-duper computer out in the garage to help make those decisions. Fly on.

[Anonymous4203]

This is GREAT news! I fly this route regularly for business. The "Southwest effect" on reducing prices will be felt and welcomed. Thanks for adding this to your Philly schedule.

[Anonymous3102]

The new route to Boston is awesome! Thanks! The next "new" airport served should be CHS (Charleston, SC) halfway between JAX and RDU. Airtran recently pulled out and USAir is raising fares again. PHL to CHS would be awesome!!

[Anonymous2844]

Thanks for the new service WN! For those of you that think that Southwest is making overweight people buy an extra seat so they can make more money I hope you sit next to this guy on your next flight: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SqhhJb_P3Kk/Sw9gpBzC1WI/AAAAAAAAKIE/0zCSzqa0Vjc/s400/airplane+seat+obese+man.jpg And for those who don't think Kevin Smith is overweight don't forget he did break a toilet: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2008/10/kevin-smith-say.html

[southwestfreak]

very true, Manchester is very lonely. there are like 3 flights that leave and 2 that arrive at any given time except early morning. Southwest should take advantage before JetBlue comes to MHT and takes it.

[Cathy_ZeeM]

Just wondering, have you always moderated the comments to your blog...or is this new?

[blusk]

Hi Cathy, This blog has been moderated for the past four years. Every comment you read has gone through the moderation process, eeven the extremely negative ones--as long as they are on topic. We are trying to keep this and our other posts on topic. Brian

[blusk]

Hi Cathy, This blog has been moderated for the past four years. Every comment you read has gone through the moderation process, even the extremely negative ones--as long as they are on topic. We are trying to keep this and our other posts on topic. Brian

[Anonymous1664]

JetBlue IS NOT entering the Manchester Market. They have northern New England covered with PWM and BTV. It would make more sense for JetBlue to fly out of Manchester instead of Portland ME. Much larger maket in Manchester.

[Cathy_ZeeM]

Brian, While I appreciate your response to my posted comment, I have a question about the "moderation process". What guidelines are used to determine if a comment is "on topic" or not? Because if it is as vague as your policy on Customers of Size, I have my concerns that many of my posts are not "flying with Southwest" and therefore, are not being posted. Also, I find it very curious that the number of comments have fluctuated so much that some blog posts have hundreds of comments posted and others have less than 20 comments posted. I wonder how "on topic" comments must be to be posted, or if they have to be "on topic" but mention very, very little of the current PR debacle Southwest is experiencing because Kevin Smith's quest for Southwest to tell the truth about what happened to him on one of your flights. -Cathy, who USED to fly Southwest out of Phoenix to see her large extended family. P.S. Was my comment on this post REALLY that "on topic" or just REALLY convenient, so that you could post a response declaring that you post "the extremely negative" comments, too - "as long as they are on topic"? In my opinion, this implies that quite possibly I'm not the only one calling into question "the moderation process" of comments to your blog posts.

[blusk]

Cathy thanks for responding. Wiith two very active posts, there is plenty of space to discuss the topic you were mentioning, and I certainly would have posted your comments on either of those posts. Yes, it was off topic because it primarily concerned that issue. To be honest most of our posts don't generate a lot of topics, some of them none, and if you go back through the four years of this blog you will see others wwith a 1,000 comments. Our basic guidelines are in the about tab above. We have not published posts with the "F bomb," or extreme personal attacks on either side, but the biggest majority of posts not published were duplicate posts. If you go back and look at those 3,500 comments, all of which were approved before posting, come back and tell me another company that would post so many and such strong negative comments. Brian

[Anonymous3309]

Dear Cathy. The policy which has been linked to many times is clear. If you occupy anything more than a single seat, you buy a second seat, and get refunded if the flight doesn't oversell. You probably need a second seat if you aren't sure. Save yourself the potential issue and buy the second seat. If you clearly fit in a single seat with no spillage, cancel the second seat and save the funds for a future ticket. The airline that doesn't charge you for bags also doesn't charge you a change fee. Keep in mind that it's not the airline's fault if you don't fit in a seat. It is your fault if you fail to address it. Thanks for staying on topic.

[Kush_Bhagat]

I wrote a letter to Southwest asking them to start this service, I wrote the letter in October. I am so glad that they are finally starting this service!

[slynch716aolcom]

now i love southwest airlines and will forever love em, but it is one of the most disapointing things to see southwest take away from the manchester economy. i mean after all MHT has been there with the airline through thick and thin, but now southwest is turning their backson the once fastest growing airport in the US. MHT never turned there backs on you. They had a 9 gate terminal expansion in store for you guys, but........

[Anonymous3447]

Wonderful information Please keep blogging!!

[Anonymous304]

Great information for Boston as this route truly required some reduced fare competitors. Poor information for that regional airports of Boston (Manchester and Providence) who've been so loyal to Southwest, because they'll most likely consider however an additional reduction in assistance to ensure that Logan can have a lot more flights. Boston now has an incredible array of reduced price assistance to nearly everywhere and is drawing reduced fare seekers that would usually fly from Manchester and Providence. Please, please, please fare match from all three Boston airports (sale fares as well) to all onward markets so regarding not canibalize your other faithful regional airports.

[Jayparmar]

Hi Great Post ! I love to read articles that are informative and beneficial in nature. But I have a question about the "moderation process". What guidelines are used to determine if a comment is "on topic" or not? Because if it is as vague as your policy on Customers of Size, I have my concerns that many of my posts are not "flying with Southwest" and therefore, are not being posted. Thank You for sharing your knowledge. Letting Agents Manchester

[blusk]

Hi Jayparmar, Our moderation policy is above in the "About" tab. Over the four years this blog has been active, we have failed to post maybe two percent of the comments--other than duplicate postings or spam. I am guessing that you may be referring to the anonymous post above yours. Right now, I am the only person moderating, so evening and weekend comments may not be posted right away--but they will get posted. Be patient. Brian

[Anonymous3447]

You Said ------Our moderation policy is above in the "About" tab. Over the four years this blog has been active, we have failed to post maybe two percent of the comments--other than duplicate postings or spam. I am guessing that you may be referring to the anonymous post above yours. Right now, I am the only person moderating, so evening and weekend comments may not be posted right away--but they will get posted. Be patient.---- I have to agree you guys are great!!! online blackjack online roulette

[bobstjean]

It is really sad what Southwest has done to it's loyal base at MHT. Manchester has fewer Southwest flights now, and some promised service restorations don't appear to be returning. And worse, they are not really matching fares. The prices are different for the same destinations from BOS, MHT and PVD. And often the special fares are more expensive at MHT. Still SWA is by far the most important and most dominate carrier at MHT. It's scary that they have over 60% of the market. The really important SWA destinations like Orlando need that 4th flight back. And it's time for Southwest to add another daily flight to Las Vegas, something they should consider when the economy turns around. Let's face it, Boston Logan has way too many flights. It's not just the low cost carriers like Southwest, or AirTran or JetBlue. United, Delta and possibly Continental all have way more flights out of Boston than even that large market can justify. Just do a quick analysis for yourself and you'll come to the same inescapable conclusion. Eventually something is going to give at Logan. It's unsustainable. I really like SWA, but, sorry to say, I hope JetBlue comes to MHT. In the long run they probably have to enter the MHT market since SWA came into Boston and is taking market share away from them there. If JetBlue opens a station in MHT, SWA has only themselves to blame for it. However, for NH the most important reason we need JetBlue is to help MHT to get better service to the NYC area. We've never had good quality service to JFK. Also their presence in MHT will keep fares down for all the other airlines operating in MHT. If JetBlue enters the market it will not impact SWA's fare structure very much, but it may force SWA to open new routes Unfortunately it's really expensive to fly out of Manchester now, and the service options are poor, with SWA being the notable exception. This all suites Logan quite well. They are charging back. They never liked Manchester taking NH business away from them. The environment is similar to how it was 20 years ago. I'm sure Logan International is lobbying JetBlue, AirTran and some of the other airlines not to open stations in MHT.

[blusk]

Mr. St. Jean, Manchester isn't the only SWA destination that has lost flights over the past year. Due to the economy, we had to optimize our entire schedule be thinning out less profititable flights. Doing this allowed us to add four additional airports last year with no additional aircraft. Brian

[bobstjean]

Hi Brian, I don't blame SWA for continuously evaluating the profitably of routes and making changes where necessary. It's just good business. But, please remember, if there were reductions in load factors on the MHT routes, it was largely caused by SWA's new Boston flights cannibalizing the business at MHT. Some of it was due to the economic slump, of course. It would be good if SWA would consider adding some of more point to point destinations from Manchester. There are many viable possibilities. Why not St. Louis and Denver service to Manchester (and Providence also!) to compliment the new service from Boston? Why not service to Houston, which Manchester has been requesting for many years? Or restoring service to Ft. Lauderdale, Kansas City or Nashville? SWA shored up public confidence in New Hampshire when it restored some of their normal service levels at MHT for the summer of 2010. It would eliminate idle speculation and silence the rumors if they opened even one new route. I believe SWA is not interested in leaving MHT, it's still a very big station for them considering that Manchester is only a small to medium sized city. But there are a lot of misinformed people who are convinced SWA will be leaving, or some in the Boston area who wish SWA would transfer more or all operations to Logan. (Maybe just wishful thinking on their part.) I like SWA and use them whenever I can. Please keep the fares the same at BOS, PVD and MHT!! Thanks, --Bob

[Anonymous2269]

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