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Southwest Airlines to begin flying Atlanta-Los Angeles


Terry Maxon/Reporter

[email protected] | Bio
1:22 PM on Wed., Jan. 11, 2012 | Permalink

Southwest Airlines, which launches its own flights out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Feb. 12, said Wednesday it will operate one round trip a day between Atlanta and Los Angeles beginning June 10. With subsidiary AirTran Airways' three daily flights, that'll give the pair four round trips a day.
By comparison, Delta Air Lines operates eight flights a day as of today, with all but two on wide-body airplanes. If I count right, that's 1,918 seats each way on Delta to 411 on AirTran today and 548 with the addition of the Southwest flight. If Southwest uses one of its new 737-800s, that'll make it 586 seats on the AirTran-Southwest duo.
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the Los Angeles route is the fourth busiest out of Atlanta, with more than 900,000 origin-and-destination passengers in the 12 months ended Sept. 30. It's also Delta's fourth biggest route.

Southwest Airlines to begin flying Atlanta-Los Angeles | Airline Biz Blog | dallasnews.com

This means LA will be the next SWA pilot domicile. :eek:

I really do not think you will get any fight from us boys at DAL. I sense strong support from us that ya'll are venturing into our markets. It gives us leverage going into negotiations. Also allows us a chance to compete head to head and that is always good. We get paid by the minute so don't worry we will be happy to slow from .80 to .76 to let you guys get ahead.

Oh yeah be sure ya'll make sure you have all the free bags before push back!!

So WN is announcing ATL-LAX, even though they already fly there via AirTran (which name will go away in a couple months)?

Gotta love PR announcements.

Agree! Happy to slow down and get out of the way. Welcome to ATL y'all.

Wait a minute! I thought we have been rumbbbliing for quite some time. Let me see Delta Express, Song, and you ""kicked" our buts in SLC, MSP, et al. It is all about market share and DAL has the "market" in ATL. I know because as a DAL frequent flyer I wanted to go through ATL to PNS and found out that my own fellow employees at Airtran are offering a price 1/3 of DAL's lowest fare. That is until SWA goes in. I will bet the DAL fares will be adjusted accordingly. I purchased a ticket on AT.:eek:

The Oscar

Yeah but AirTran only does it on a 737.

Yo Oscar, I agree, AT is cheaper than WN. That why DAL likes your merger, because WN's costs are going up, and those costs need to be controlled, as stated in GK's memo to employees.

Actually Elvis, the cost to and from ATL was about the same (DAL, SWA, AT take your pick). It was the flight to PNS that was the killer. Until we have our own or connecting flights out of ATL I expect the prices to be high. I also agree that the costs will go up for SWA when the AT deal is completely done.

The Oscar

You also lack the fuel hedge advantage you once held. Your Pensacola analogy may also be compared to the monopoly you once had on the PHL-PIT route. Where did that go? How about BOI to SEA or GEG to SEA? All of those only had RJs on them to compete against. Yet, you retreated. Don't get too cocky.