Southwest Airlines culls 31 flights, but adds 40
Interesting article to go along with this one.
link
AP
Southwest Airlines culls 31 flights, but adds 40
Thursday June 26, 11:58 am ET
Southwest Airlines drops 31 flights from schedule, but adds 40 more; big push in Denver
DALLAS (AP) -- Southwest Airlines Co. on Thursday outlined plans to shed 31 flights but add 40 others, including a big push into Denver.The addition of nine flights overall comes as many of Southwest's competitors scale back their flight offerings as they retrench in the face of record-high fuel prices and a slumping economy.
A number of markets will gain new nonstop Southwest service as a result of the change. The carrier will now offer three daily roundtrip flights between Denver and Orange County, Calif., for example, and two daily between Denver and Tulsa, Okla.
Denver is the home of Frontier Airlines and a major hub for UAL Corp., both of which have announced capacity cutbacks in recent weeks. Frontier filed for bankruptcy protection in April, and UAL recently announced plans to shutter its low-cost arm Ted, which was based in Denver.
Southwest also is beefing up its service in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., including the addition of four new nonstop routes.
Southwest plans to expand its schedule by keeping in service two planes it had planned to retire. That brings to 15 the number of aircraft Southwest is adding this year.
"We have a much different story to tell today than our competitors," Chief Executive Gary Kelly said in a statement. "We are well prepared financially ... (and) we are still growing."
Southwest shares fell 20 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $13.88 in morning trading.
