Today Southwest announced it will be coming to Charleston with direct service to several key markets! One of the most difficult things about spending time in my hometown of Charleston are the lack of direct flights into and out of CHS. Having a profitable carrier who can fend off the majors, who traditionally drop rates to comepete with low fare carriers to drive them out of the market, is just awesome. The fact they were profitable before the bad charges came and don’t have to add them to close revenue gaps is another added value of the Charleston market! Maybe this can spur some additional tourism and golf dollars back into the area! Thank you Southwest!
That isn’t bad news and an easier way for all you east coasties to get out to the Rocky Mountains. This really can change travel in and out of town in a huge way. Let’s hope they don’t follow the Air Tran and Jet Blue business model.
Nice thing about Southwest is they are profitable, unlike other carriers, so they set the bar in terms of pricing and don’t have to charge for bags! I think this is the one airline with the staying power!