Today, Southwest released our November, 2007 Schedule, and folks that travel to or from New Orleans are going to be particularly happy–1,096 seats a day happy, in fact! Effective November 4th, we're reinstating our often-asked-about nonstop service between New Orleans and Birmingham, with three flights each business day. Besides the new Birmingham service, we're listening to the marketplace and to our Customers by adding flights in a number of markets to and from New Orleans, with more flights between Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and Dallas, Houston, Orlando, and Las Vegas. A thousand more leather seats each day into and out of "The Big Easy" is definitely reason to "laissez bon temp rouler – let the good times roll!"
In addition to the new service to New Orleans, we're adding lots more "shush" to the slopes of the Rockies by adding 14 departures each day from Denver, including new nonstop service between Denver and Albuquerque, Austin, Amarillo, Oklahoma City, and Seattle. The Amarillo and Oklahoma City service will offer one-stop, direct same-plane service between Denver and Dallas Love Field, making travel between the two "Big D's" that much easier. This will bring us up to 56 daily departures from Denver International!
The added service at New Orleans and Denver is part of a much broader schedule adjustment coming in November, in which we'll eliminate some flights and add others–all designed to improve Southwest's profitability and operational performance. In all, 80 markets all across our network will see flights added or, in some cases, decreased. Seven completely new nonstop markets will be added to the Southwest system, while we will discontinue nonstop service in seven others (however, in each of these, we'll continue to offer direct or connecting service). At least in terms of the number of markets impacted, this makes the November 4th schedule change the largest and most comprehensive in Southwest's history–and this network re-optimization is possible by use of our "garage-o-mizer."
I'm eager for you to take a look (and buy a ticket!) at our new November Schedule. I look forward to your comments, and as always, thanks for reading Nuts About Southwest!
Comments
OK, I'm just dying to know. What are the seven markets that are gaining service, and what are the seven markets that are losing service?
Great post, and great news Bill!
One of the best things about Southwest is how 'willing' we are to make changes, and how 'able' we are to do it quickly and efficiently.
From my few, brief encounters with the "garage-o-mizer," I have no doubt that it gives Southwest both strategic and tactical advantages over the competition.
Thanks again for all you and Schedule Planning do to keep us ahead of the pack.
Sure, I love New Orleans, but I also love Los Angeles, and I live in Baltimore. What happened to the nonstops from Baltimore-LAX?!?!?
Also, on a side note, I logged in as soon as the new schedule was released, and I'm a bit peeved (and confused) that there are no internet fares on Sunday November 25th from LAX to BWI (or really anywhere, so far as I can tell). Your roundtrip price, then, from Thurs to Sun, is more expensive than Alaska, American, United, and USAir, and they've got nonstops!
Care to comment?
Between the new schedule extension and Gary Kelly's announcement that Southwest will be "enhancing its Rapid Rewards program" and "unveiling a new boarding/seating method", both in the fourth quarter, the blogs and forums are exploding with joy, dismay, and - of course - speculation.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/2007/06/southwest-to-un.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=501
http://startelegram.typepad.com/sky_talk/
Dude, ABQ to DEN service! Heck YES! It is about time the Albuquerque to Denver route gets some good low cost in there. I can not wait.
Hi Micah,
I think you can find the listings here:
http://www.southwest.com/about_swa/press/070627_chart.pdf
Enjoy!
I am a New Orleanian now living in Jacksonville Florida since Katrina and go back often ........ I wish SOUTHWEST had NONSTOPS from Jacksonville to New Orleans ........
As a native of Dallas and a longtime Southwest flier, if there is one market Southwest needs to be in that it is not, it is Mobile, Alabama. There is no low-cost carrier in Mobile at all and the nearest Southwest service is a two-and-a-half hour drive away in New Orleans. Many of the locals in Mobile drive either to Gulfport/Biloxi or to Pensacola for their air travel at present because of the low-cost carriers at those airports. The Mobile area is going big places in the next few years. Southwest needs to be part of it.
Can someone please explain why a one-way ticket from PHL to MCO is $89, a one-way ticket from MCO to PHL is $89, but when booked as a round-trip ticket, it drops to $79 each way?
Also, why are so many flights marked "unavailable" on their first day of availability?
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