Airline Adding 15 Flights From Orange County : Transportation: Southwest challenges American and Alaska with new service to San Jose and Oakland.

Strengthening its grip on the key California market, Southwest Airlines on Monday announced that it will begin 15 round-trip flights a day in May between Orange County and the Bay Area cities of Oakland and San Jose. The unrestricted fare will be $69 each way.

With the addition of John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Southwest will fly from every major Southern California airport except Long Beach when it starts service May 26.

“We have been building in Southern California for five years,” said Gary Kelly, chief financial officer for Dallas-based Southwest, which flies throughout the western U.S. and has some flights to the eastern part of the country.

Southwest is now the dominant carrier within the state, flying more than 50% of all intrastate passengers in the third quarter of last year, the most recent figures available.

Southwest’s move into Orange County has been long awaited because of the airline’s reputation for low fares. Thousands of passengers have been driving to Ontario Airport or Los Angeles International to get cheaper fares.

Southwest paved the way for the latest move when it bought Morris Air Service in December, which was already flying two flights a day between Salt Lake City and Orange County. The purchase of Morris Air allowed Southwest to pick up additional landing slots at an airport that restricts the number of flights to reduce noise.

Although the everyday fare on the flights will be $69--the same as on any Southwest flight within California--Kelly said discounts of $49 for advance purchase will be available. Southwest will offer its two-for-one promotional fares for leisure travelers.

Southwest’s low fares could attract additional leisure travelers to Orange County, a major tourism center, even though about 70% of those who now use John Wayne Airport are business travelers.

“This airport has been heavily weighted with business passengers,” said Airport Director Jan Mittermeier. Now, “leisure travelers who have been going to Ontario are going to come here.”

Southwest’s primary competition on its eight daily round-trip flights between Orange County and San Jose will be American Airlines, which previously has pulled out of other routes rather than try to match Southwest’s fares.

An American Airlines spokesman in Dallas said simply Monday: “We have not decided yet what we are going to do.” American’s unrestricted one-way fare from Orange County to San Jose is $119.

On Southwest’s seven daily round-trip flights between Orange County and Oakland, it will primarily face off against Alaska Airlines. Making life more difficult for Alaska, Southwest plans connecting flights into Alaska Airlines’ primary markets of Seattle and Portland, starting June 6.

An Alaska spokesman said the airline has matched Southwest’s prices in the past, and expects to do so this time on the same routes. Alaska’s unrestricted fare between Orange County and Oakland is $99.