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Southwest adds Ft. Myers!



 
 
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  #1  
Old June 27th, 2005, 04:55 PM
Dain Bramage
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Default Southwest adds Ft. Myers!

Southwest Airlines to Serve Fort Myers, Florida!
Airline Adds Sixth Florida City to Its Route Map
DALLAS, June 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Southwest Airlines, the
low-fare leader, solidified its Florida presence today by announcing
service to Fort Myers, Fla., from Southwest Florida International
Airport beginning in October 2005. Fort Myers will be Southwest's sixth
Florida city. Fares and flight schedules will be announced next month.
"Fort Myers is a great addition to the Southwest Airlines Family, not
only from a business standpoint, but from a Southwest Florida Customer
standpoint as well," said Gary Kelly, Southwest's Chief Executive
Officer. "Now, our Southwest Florida Customers have to look no further
than their own backyard for Southwest's legendary low fares and great
Customer Service."
With this announcement, Southwest Airlines continues to expand its
commitment to the state of Florida. Southwest Florida International
Airport will become Southwest's 61st airport systemwide. In Florida,
Southwest currently serves Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Jacksonville,
Orlando, Tampa Bay, and West Palm Beach. Southwest Airlines is the
largest intra-Florida carrier and transported more than 5.7 million
Floridians in 2004.
"We are very excited about Southwest Airlines' decision to inaugurate
service at Southwest Florida International Airport," said Robert M.
Ball, A.A.E., Executive Director of the Lee County Port Authority. "We
have been working closely with Southwest for many years and are pleased
they have selected Southwest Florida as their newest destination. We are
confident this partnership will be successful and know travelers will
enjoy this exciting new service option."
Historically, when Southwest enters a new city, fares drop dramatically
and demand for travel increases. The U.S. Department of Transportation
(DOT) in a 1993 study described the phenomenon as the "Southwest
Effect." Statistics from Southwest's newest cities, Philadelphia and
Pittsburgh are a perfect example:
* Since Southwest Airlines entered the Philadelphia market in May
2004,
total Philadelphia traffic has increased nearly 30 percent.
* In just one year, Southwest Airlines has grown to capture nearly
10 percent of the Philadelphia market share.
* In the third quarter of 2004, the average one-way fare between
Philadelphia and Chicago Midway fell 46 percent, while traffic increased
by 137 percent. In addition, the average one-way fare between
Philadelphia and Chicago O'Hare (an airport that Southwest Airlines does
not serve) fell 44 percent, while traffic increased by 28 percent,
showing that Southwest Airlines' arrival in new markets benefits sister
airports and other airlines.
* Since Southwest Airlines entered the Philadelphia market,
one-way fares between Philadelphia and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., have
dropped 74 percent; one-way fares between Philadelphia and Phoenix have
dropped 33 percent; one-way fares between Philadelphia and Los Angeles
have dropped 33 percent; one-way fares between Philadelphia and Las
Vegas have dropped 27 percent; and one-way fares between Philadelphia
and Tampa Bay have dropped 20 percent.
* Southwest, which began service from Pittsburgh on May 4 with 10
daily nonstop flights to Chicago, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and Orlando,
had a total of 57,260 passengers, accounting for six percent of the
passengers at Pittsburgh International Airport, in its first month of
operations. Southwest was the fourth busiest airline at Pittsburgh
behind US Airways (570,168), Delta (65,228), and United (60,931) for May
2005.
"Southwest is thrilled to begin operating out of a new, state-of-the-art
facility," Kelly said. "The new terminal will be a great home for
Southwest, and Fort Myers will be a fantastic addition to our strong 61
city network."
For more than 34 years, Southwest has been in the business of connecting
people -- whether they are business executives looking to "close the
deal" or loved ones gathering for a special occasion. Southwest boarded
more than 70 million Customers in 2004 on its young fleet of Boeing
737s.

Southwest has reported 32 consecutive years of profitability, and
earlier this month celebrated its 34th year in business. Based in
Dallas, Southwest operates a fleet of 432 Boeing 737s with an average
age of nine years -- among the youngest pure jet fleets in the domestic
airline industry. Southwest Airlines, the nation's largest carrier in
terms of domestic passengers enplaned, currently serves 60 airports in
31 states. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than
3,000 flights a day and has 31,000+ Employees systemwide.







  #2  
Old July 3rd, 2005, 05:18 PM
Jimbo Minn
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Who the hell cares!! It's airlines like this that have ruined it for the
big IMPORTANT carriers. Thank GOD they have no jets that can fly
overseas. Those mangie 737's would plummet into the ocean not far for
the shoreline!!

  #3  
Old July 4th, 2005, 05:42 AM
mrtravel
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Jimbo Minn wrote:

Who the hell cares!! It's airlines like this that have ruined it for the
big IMPORTANT carriers. Thank GOD they have no jets that can fly
overseas. Those mangie 737's would plummet into the ocean not far for
the shoreline!!


Did the airline ruined it by providing a service at a price customers
were willing to pay AND still be profitable? Southwest is NOT a new
airline. The other major US carriers have had plenty of time since
deregulation to figure out how to operate profitably.
  #4  
Old July 4th, 2005, 07:27 PM
beavis
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In article , Jimbo
Minn wrote:

Who the hell cares!! It's airlines like this that have ruined it for the
big IMPORTANT carriers.


Uh-huh. Those "big IMPORTANT" carriers have a business model that
*depends* on soaking the last-minute business traveler for as much as
they can squeeze out of him. With internet pricing searches, it
doesn't work anymore.

Southwest is profitable WITHOUT a government bailout. You prefer your
tax money to subsidize corporations?

Those mangie 737's would plummet into the ocean not far for
the shoreline!!


Southwest has one of the youngest jet fleets in the industry. Would
you prefer a Northwest DC-9 built in 1968, or a Southwest 737-700,
built in this century?
  #6  
Old July 5th, 2005, 01:28 AM
Jeff Hacker
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Default


"Jimbo Minn" wrote in message
...
Who the hell cares!! It's airlines like this that have ruined it for the
big IMPORTANT carriers. Thank GOD they have no jets that can fly
overseas. Those mangie 737's would plummet into the ocean not far for
the shoreline!!

Actually, Aloha Airlines and Air Pacific (the Fijiian carrier) are flying
737NG's from the west coast to Hawaii. So the 737's do have transoceanic
range.

I am not a fan of Southwest myself (nor am I a fan of deregulation, which I
personally believe has been an absolute disaster), but you can't ignore
Southwest as not an "important" carrier.; They now are one of the biggest
in the U.S.


  #7  
Old July 5th, 2005, 01:34 AM
Jeff Hacker
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Default


"beavis" wrote in message
...
In article , Jimbo
Minn wrote:

Who the hell cares!! It's airlines like this that have ruined it for the
big IMPORTANT carriers.


Uh-huh. Those "big IMPORTANT" carriers have a business model that
*depends* on soaking the last-minute business traveler for as much as
they can squeeze out of him. With internet pricing searches, it
doesn't work anymore.


That doesn't hod anymore. There IS a market for an airline that still
offers "value." Thus, AirTran's Business Class, for example, or America
West's First Class upgrades, or Continental's still providing food service.
Compare some of the "majors," like American, Delta andNorthwest, for
example, which have removed all elements of civility by removing meals,
pillows, magazines, and now even pretzels/peanuts, with some of the LCC's
which still provide some amenities in the U.S.

Southwest is profitable WITHOUT a government bailout. You prefer your
tax money to subsidize corporations?


America West and US Airways received government guaranteed loans. The other
carriers haven't. And that includes American and United, the two airlines
whose airplanes were commandeered on 9/11.

Those mangie 737's would plummet into the ocean not far for
the shoreline!!


depends on the version. The 737-NG's have transoceanic range. Check Air
Pacific from Vancouver to Honolulu and Aloha from the U.S. West Coast and
Vancouver to Honolulu, Maui, and Kona.

Southwest has one of the youngest jet fleets in the industry. Would
you prefer a Northwest DC-9 built in 1968, or a Southwest 737-700,
built in this century?


Several years ago, Northwest completely re-built their DC9 fleet, bringing
them back to "zero time" configuration. The airplanes may not be new, but
they aren't "old" either.


  #8  
Old July 5th, 2005, 04:04 AM
mrtravel
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Default

Jeff Hacker wrote:



Southwest is profitable WITHOUT a government bailout. You prefer your
tax money to subsidize corporations?



America West and US Airways received government guaranteed loans. The other
carriers haven't. And that includes American and United, the two airlines
whose airplanes were commandeered on 9/11.


They received money that didn't require repayment.


  #9  
Old July 5th, 2005, 06:27 PM
Jeff Hacker
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Posts: n/a
Default


"mrtravel" wrote in message
.. .
Jeff Hacker wrote:



Southwest is profitable WITHOUT a government bailout. You prefer your
tax money to subsidize corporations?



America West and US Airways received government guaranteed loans. The
other carriers haven't. And that includes American and United, the two
airlines whose airplanes were commandeered on 9/11.


They received money that didn't require repayment.


Huh? With the exception of the relatively few and very small cities covered
by the Essential Air Services Program (which pays a subsidy to airlines like
Big Sky, Mesa, etc.) to serve a very few and very small towns, there are
now, nor have there been in years, any outright giveaways to any of the
majors. The "bailout" was a loan guaranty program only; unless the airlines
default (and, so far, even US Airways, which is in Bankruptcy, has not
defaulted), the govt. will have to honor those guarantees.




 




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