More great news for the Upstate..perhaps we will be able to spend some the anticipated 2011 Prosperity in Vegas??
February 9, 2011
Southwest CEO wants more flights in S.C.
The day Southwest Airlines cut the ribbon on service in Denver in 2006, the discount airline unexpectedly announced the addition of more flights, the company’s president, chairman and CEO said at a stop in Greenville Tuesday. Southwest launches service in South Carolina March 13.
By Scott Miller
Published Feb. 9, 2011
The day Southwest Airlinescut the ribbon on service in Denver in 2006, the discount airline unexpectedly announced the addition of more flights, the company’s president, chairman and CEO said at a stop in Greenville Tuesday.
Southwest launches service in South Carolina March 13, with seven daily flights to five destinations from the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport and seven daily flights to four destinations from the Charleston International Airport.
Southwest Chief Executive Gary Kelly called that a “modest number of flights.”
“I can’t promise you that we’ll be adding any flights soon, but I can tell you that we want to,” Kelly said, mentioning that Las Vegas is one the airline’s most popular destinations.
At GSP, Southwest will operate two daily flights to Baltimore/Washington, two to Chicago Midway, and one each to Orlando, Houston and Nashville. In Charleston, Southwest will fly to Chicago Midway, Baltimore/Washington, Nashville, Tenn., and Houston.
The airline typically monitors airport traffic and market demand for a year before expanding service, he added.
“You will tell us what you want,” Kelly said.
Early bookings at GSP and Charleston have been strong, he said. Kelly questioned whether the two South Carolina airports would have the vendors and parking capacity to handle all of Southwest’s customers.
“That’s the challenge we see around the country,” Kelly said. “You’re going to have a lot of customers at your airport.”
Kelly was the keynote speaker at the Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce’s 122nd annual meeting Tuesday. The event drew a record crowd for a chamber event, packing the ballroom at the Carolina First Center.
Growth is a goal for the company at all the markets it serves, he said.
The domestic carrier is evaluating the addition of international service to the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada, as well as long-haul domestic service to Hawaii and Alaska, Kelly said. Additionally, Southwest will take delivery in early 2012 of larger, more fuel efficient models of the Boeing 737 planes it currently flies to increase capacity from 137 seats to 175 per plane.
In the meantime, Southwest hopes to close on its acquisition in the second quarter of AirTran Airways, which offers service in Atlanta; Asheville, N.C.; and Charlotte, N.C., among other cities around the country. Kelly didn’t think that acquisition would affect operations in South Carolina and said it will lead to more destinations for travelers here.
He noted that Southwest has not pulled service in a decade and makes long-term commitments to the markets it serves.
Kelly began his career at Southwest Airlines in 1986 as controller. He then served in various executive positions before becoming CEO in 2004. He added the title of chairman in 2008.
Happy traveling!!
Brent Edgerton
New Way Properties
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