There have been some interesting developments recently with Southwest Airlines.
Southwest to New York LaGuardia
Some readers may recall that Southwest had a codeshare arrangement with the now defunct ATA (American Trans Air). This tie-up allowed Southwest to market travel to some key East Coast cities as well as to Hawaii, but the agreement was rendered moot by ATAs bankruptcy and cessation of service.
The story doesnt end there. Southwest bid $7.5 million for seven slots (translation: 7 daily round-trip flights) at New York LaGuardia Airport. If the bankruptcy court accepts the bid this would be the first time Southwest has flown into New York City proper. Theyve flown for many years into Islip (Long Island) but LaGuardia would be their first service directly to the Big Apple.
Southwest isnt saying to where they would fly from LaGuardia but Ive read speculation that the likeliest city would be Chicago Midway, which is one of the busiest points on the Southwest route map. If thats the case, then cities in California (including Sacramento) would have easy connecting service on Southwest to New York via Chicago Midway.
Southwest said that flights to LaGuardia would commence sometime in 2009 if their bid for the gates is accepted. Heres the USA Today story.
Southwest up and down the continent
While the marriage with ATA was dissolved due to the death of one of the partners, Southwest clearly is interested in getting remarried.
Over the past month Southwest has announced future codeshare link-ups that will take it both north of the border to Canada (WestJet) and south of the border to Mexico (Volaris).
Just so there’s no confusion about what a codeshare is, it means an arrangement where one carrier puts its “brand” on the flights of another carrier in order to make it appear that it offers same carrier service from Point A to Point C via Point B. It has become a widespread practice in the airline industry.
When the new Southwest tie-ups are cemented, it means, for example, that the two-character code for Southwest (“WN”) would be used in lieu of the normal WestJet code (“WS”) on selected flights so that Southwest can sell travel between the United States and Canada.
WestJet already serves the U.S., mostly with flights to sunny destinations in Hawaii, the Southwest and Florida. Volaris does not yet have flights to the United States. but has announced its intention to do by the end of 2009. No doubt the cities served will be ones that also have extensive Southwest service. I would bet in the West that Phoenix, Las Vegas and Denver are Volaris candidate cities since they offer a wide choice of connecting service on Southwest.
Southwest is creating its own little airline version of NAFTA.
Airfarewatchdogs charts of airline baggage fees and other fees:
In a previous post I described Airfarewatchdog, a website/blog I like that tracks airfares.
Take a look at these two handy charts and bookmark them if you wish:
Airline baggage fees
Other airline fees (ticket exchange fees, seat assignment, unaccompanied minors, etc.)
But remember to always double-check with the carrier you’re flying to be sure you have the most up-to-date information.
Thanksgiving:
If you are flying over the Thanksgiving period please accept my condolences. Arrive early at the airport, plan to arrive late at your destination, and carry extra supplies of patience.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
