Southwest Plans 13 Daily Nonstops Out of Denver
Southwest Airlines unveiled its new Denver service Thursday with plans to launch 13 daily nonstop flights from Denver to Las Vegas, Phoenix and Chicago, beginning Jan. 3.
Gary Kelly, the airline’s chief executive, said Southwest probably would eventually add flights to some California cities as it expands at Denver International Airport.
“If the market grows for us ... there’s no question California will get more destinations, including Denver at some point,” he said. Southwest, known for its low fares and spartan amenities, is the largest airline operating in California, with more than 630 daily departures in the state.
Southwest initially chose Las Vegas, Phoenix and Chicago’s Midway International Airport because those cities are the airline’s three largest departure points and also are top destinations for Denver travelers, Kelly said.
By entering Denver, Southwest is challenging United Airlines, which handles nearly 60% of the airport’s passenger traffic, and the discount carrier Frontier Airlines, which has nearly 20%.
United, a unit of UAL Corp., and Frontier have vowed to compete aggressively with Southwest in Denver. United’s arsenal includes Ted, a subsidiary discount airline that offers such amenities as television and music. Ted also flies from Denver to Las Vegas, Phoenix and Chicago Midway.
Southwest also added 49 additional flights across its system, including eight that will serve hurricane-ravaged New Orleans and several others that will expand the airline’s intra-California service.
The carrier said it would add two round-trip flights between Oakland and San Diego, lifting total service on that route to 20 round trips a day. The airline also plans to add two daily nonstop round-trip flights between Burbank and Oakland, for a total of 16 a day on that route. The new flights begin Feb. 5.
