Southwest Airlines daily LaGuardia – Chicago, Baltimore flights soon

Southwest Airlines announced, on April 7, 2009, that it will be start five round-trip, nonstop flights a day between LaGuardia and Chicago’s Midway Airport, from June 28, 2009.Southwest also plans to introduce three daily round-trip non-stop flights between LaGuardia and Baltimore-Washington International Marshall airports from the same day.

This the first time that Southwest Airlines will offer services to any of the big New York City airports.

Gary Kelly, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Southwest Airlines said, “For years, customers have asked for Southwest service into New York City, and we are now connecting two of our largest markets with the nation’s largest city.”

Flights from Baltimore cost around $75 as of now. This would be reduced to $49 with the opening of the Southwest Airlines’ Baltimore flight service.

Bob Jordan, Southwest Airlines’ executive vice president of strategy and planning said, “We want to win our fair share of business customers. You have to be where they want to fly. A lot of our business network want to go to places like New York and Baltimore and Minneapolis.”

Southwest’s $7.5 million bid for ATA’s 14 takeoff and landing slots was approved by a federal bankruptcy judge last month. Hence Southwest now has a  capacity of seven peak-period flights a day in and out of La Guardia.

Hit by recession, the aviation industry world wide has reduced fares considerably. JetBlue Airways started one-way tickets between New York and Washington for as low as $39.

United Airlines, American Airlines and Northwest Airlines went ahead and matched the deal. Now Southwest Airlines has reduced the airfare to $49.

Talking about recession and how the airline was coping with it, Jordan made it abundantly clear that Southwest Airlines was going through a tough time.

“We all know we have a pretty crummy economy. It’s like a fare sale a day from the airline industry. It’s a little tough to keep track,” he said.

However, Jordan also said that the new foray was a good opportunity for the airline. Washington-New York is one of the busiest airports and to start an operation at these airports is an opportunity for the airline to make good money he said.

Southwest bought takeoff-and-landing slots at La Guardia after ATA Airlines filed for Chapter 11 in April 2008, its second such filing in four years. Earlier the airline made a code-sharing agreement with ATA, that allowed passengers on Southwest to book tickets to destinations served by ATA.

Southwest Airlines will offer five flights to Chicago and three flights to Baltimore-Washington daily. The $49 price between Baltimore and Washington is a regular fare, not a limited-time sale price as stated by the officials at Southwest.