Southwest plane flying above Brooklyn. The low-cost carrier is officially a "Noo Yawk" resident as of June 28. (Picture courtesy of Southwest's Flickr page)
While I was getting ready for a return to New York after a three week trip in Poland, the people at Southwest were making some noise of their own in the Big Apple. The low-cost airline officially debuted at LaGuardia airport this past Sunday. The day was filled with festivites that included a breakfast with NY style bagels for customers and employees and a special live performance from Southwest’s rapping flight attendant.
New York City travelers now have another option when they book airfare from LaGuardia. Southwest Airlines will produce eight daily nonstop flights, with five daily nonstops to Chicago Midway and three daily nonstop flights to Baltimore/Washington.
In addition Southwest will provide direct or connecting service to their more than 45 routes from NYC. Some of the major cities include Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco. To check out all of Southwest’s destinations via LaGuardia and other airports, check out Southwest.com .
Southwest Airlines customers will fly out of LaGuardia Airport’s Gate B4 in the Central Terminal Building.
Southwest is at it again. The low-cost airline is offering yet another summer sale in select cities nationwide. Here is the low down.
Some of the cities in the sale include New York (LaGuardia), Chicago (Midway), Boston, Austin, Baltimore, Las Vegas, and many more. For a full list of destinations, click here. Below are some of the rules and restrictions:
You must purchase by June 18, 2009.
You must travel by October 28, 2009.
Travel is only valid on Tuesday & Wednesday flights.
14-day advance purchase is required.
Travel not available to/from Washington DC (Dulles); Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines.
To read the rest of the “Details” and to book a ticket, click here.
Southwest Airlines is ready to land in LaGuardia Airport on June 28 with new service to Chicago and Baltimore.
Southwest Airlines announced Monday that they will officially debut in New York (sorry Long Island) on Sunday June 28. Southwest will fly out of LaGuardia Airport (my least favorite NY area airport) and provide low-fare service to both Chicago’s Midway Airport (my favorite Chicago airport) and Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Airfare to/from Chicago will start at $89 each-way, while Baltimore will set you back $49 each-way.
With Southwest moving into La Guardia, this gives the airline a chance to show one of the busiest air markets in the country what it has to offer. As I mentioned earlier, while Southwest is now a part of the Big Apple, it has been hanging around the NY area for years. Southwest Airlines has provided service out of Islip Airport on Long Island, which is about 50 miles from Manhattan.
So how did Southwest wind up in LaGuardia? When ATA Airlines filed for Chapter 11 last April (for the fourth time), Southwest swooped in and bought the vacated takeoff and landing slots. But this was the not the first time the two airlines crossed paths. Southwest and ATA once had a code-sharing agreement which allowed customers on Southwest to book flights also served by ATA. So since Southwest was already in the door, it was easier for them to realize how LaGaurdia worked and that they were in demand.
To show you how quickly Southwest Airlines is moving along with their move to New York, it was just last month that a federal bankruptcy judge granted Southwest’s $7.5 million bid for ATA’s 14 takeoff and landing slots. This would allow Southwest seven peak-period flights a day to and from La Guardia. After some wheeling and dealing, the low cost carrier was able to upgrade that to eight slots spread throughout the day.
Southwest Airlines will initially start off with five daily nonstop flights to Chicago and three to Baltimore. The other rumored cities to be added later include Boston and Atlanta. I personally look forward to flying aboard one of the better domestic airlines out there today.
Southwest Airlines to debut by end of summer. This New Yorker is happy.
Wednesday an Indianapolis bankruptcy court granted Southwest Airlines permission to purchase the assets of ATA Airlines for $7.5 million. Furthermore, Southwest will take control of ATA’s 14 takeoff and landing slots at LaGuardia Airport. Well as a “Noo Yawka”, this news makes me very happy. I am a big fan of this airline and look forward to using them quite often once they arrive in my neck of the woods.
The sale should be finalized by Friday and Southwest hopes to start flying around the Big Apple by the end of the summer. The 14 slots will provide the airline with seven daily departures. I for one look forward to Southwest’s debut in New York and can not wait to see where exactly they will be flying to once they have arrived. A full announcement by Southwest Airlines will be made shortly.
