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WHOO HOO ... SOUTHWEST AND AIRTRAN SCHEDULES EXTENDED! NOW BOOKING THROUGH FEBRUARY 12, 2014

Bill
Employee
Employee
Today we’re extending our schedule through January and into February, 2014!  You can now book those deep-winter trips on Southwest and AirTran.  Slopes?  Surf?  Shows?  Slots?  We can get you to any, or all, of them!  

Overall, Southwest and AirTran combined will offer about 3,470 daily weekday departures for the January/February schedule, down about five percent from the November/Holiday Season schedule, and very much in line with historical levels.  For January we’ve completely re-optimized the schedule to adjust flying times for winter winds, schedule structure for winter operations, ensure network connectivity, account for 737-800 deliveries, and a host of other things.  In other words—Network Planning has been hard at work! 

In this schedule release there are no new nonstop markets or cities, but we will bring three seasonal nonstop markets back:  Ft. Myers-Nashville and Ft. Lauderdale-Phoenix, each with roundtrip daily service, and we’ll bring back Dayton-Tampa Bay nonstops on Saturdays only.   All of this will be on Southwest.  Continuing our individual nonstop market conversion, we’ll convert twelve nonstop markets from AirTran service to Southwest.  We’ll also convert six previously shared nonstop markets to all Southwest service, while shifting one shared nonstop market to all AirTran.  Four markets that are currently all-AirTran will become shared markets with Southwest—continuing the integration of our networks and expanding Southwest’s footprint in Atlanta.

Two nonstop markets will be permanently eliminated—St. Louis-Birmingham and St. Louis-Louisville, although we’ll keep connecting service in both.    Also eliminated to be eliminated are six Southwest seasonal markets, as well as AirTran’s seasonal San Antonio-Cancun, Mexico service.

As always, happy booking and have a FANTASTIC week, everyone!

3 Comments
lbfmaf
Explorer C
Please start day Mdw service. It will be a Hugh success. The airfares between the two cities average $800. I know it will be a high moneymaker for you.
dbarkl
Explorer C
What are the 12 markets converted completely from AirTran to Southwest, and what are the six shared markets that converted to Southwest?
davidsdf
Explorer C
Southwest seems to be turning into a legacy carrier. While you do not use the term Hub and Spoke...you may as well. For example...from SDF you fly Nonstop to MDW, BWI, TPA, MCO, LAS, PHX, DEN, ATL and STL. All of those destinations are 'hubs/focus cities'...and you will soon discontinue STL...like you discontinued BHM prior. Big mistakes imo. Why? For us business travelers that need to go to STL and BHM etc....if it involves a connection....DL (and others) provide far more frequencies...many times at same or lower fares...and they provide upgrades for FC. The more we fly DL...the less we fly with SWA. Really think that SWA is losing what made it great as it shifts all flying to long haul. Your consultants or whomever are wrong when they say short haul flying is going away. What has gone away are short haul nonstops at reasonable fares....SWA's claim to fame for most of its history. Yes fuel prices are higher and TSA adds some time.....but would think SWA would try to figure out how to make it work instead of giving up and 'permanently eliminating short haul flights' with every schedule change. CLE or CMH-SDF-BNA-BHM-MSY is just one example of short-haul/thru routes that SWA should re-explore. Unfortunately for SWA... AA, DL, UA have superior product for long hauls at fares that are same or less.