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Several major US airlines said on Wednesday they had at least partially matched a limited fare increase last week by low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines.

The increase, which comes on the heels of a broader fare increase by carriers earlier in December, points to airlines’ expectations of healthy demand and supports analysts’ generally upbeat outlook for the industry this year.

Southwest said high fuel prices necessitated the December 29 fare increase, which affects about 25 percent of the carrier’s passengers. “‘We are still very much in a high fuel environment,'” said Southwest spokeswoman Beth Harbin.

source: Airwise

Southwest Airlines has increased its fares, and now other airlines are jumping on board. Southwest raised its one-way fares by as much as $10 over the weekend, the fifth time the airline has raised its fares this year. Recent government data showed average airfares have risen 18 percent in the past 18 months.

Southwest Airlines boosted the price of one-way tickets by as much as $10 to blunt higher fuel costs. The fare increase is $3 on one-way trips of 750 to 1,000 miles and $10 on longer flights, airline spokeswoman Paula Berg said Friday. UAL Corp.’s United Airlines, Continental Airlines Inc., Northwest Airlines Corp. and US Airways Group Inc. matched the fares.

source: St Petersburg Times

Low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines has told Delta Air Lines and US Airways Group it would buy any assets they sell if they merged, according to a report Monday.US Airways made an unwanted $8 billion bid for Delta last week. Delta, which has operated under bankruptcy protection since September 2005, said it aims to emerge from Chapter 11 as a standalone airline.

Southwest wants to buy any aircraft and airport gates put up for sale, especially on the East Coast, and it has told Delta and US Airways of its interest.
source: CNN

Southwest Airlines will add twice-daily nonstop service between San Diego and Reno/Lake Tahoe beginning March 11, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (SDCRAA) announced today.

The flights will be on a Boeing 737 aircraft with 137 seats, according to the SDCRAA.

Southwest Airlines Co. said Thursday it will add 33 new nonstop flights this spring, including new service between Baltimore/Washington and Pittsburgh.

The new flights are for 26 city pairs and will also include new nonstop service to connect Cleveland and Orlando, Fla.; Dallas Love Field and Birmingham, Ala.; and Reno/Lake Tahoe in Nevada and San Diego. The low-cost carrier will also augment some existing service.

Southwest will roll out the new service between March 11 and April 15.

source: BusinessWeek

Southwest Airlines has announced it will add 33 nonstop flights involving 26 cities.

The list includes new nonstop service between: Baltimore-Washington and Pittsburgh; Cleveland and Orlando, Fla.; Dallas Love Field and Birmingham, Ala.; and between Reno/Lake Tahoe and San Diego.

Some of the new flights begin March 11. The rest will start by April 15.

Southwest Airlines has again turned up the heat in the North Texas fare war by slashing ticket prices from Dallas Love Field to destinations nationwide to as cheap as $39 each way.

The fare sale, which runs until Dec. 1, offers the lowest prices mostly to nearby cities like Houston and Little Rock. But distant destinations like Philadelphia and Seattle are discounted at $79 each way.

source: Star-telegram

Moving quickly to take advantage of a new federal law, Southwest Airlines Co. says it will sell one-stop flights from its home airport near downtown Dallas to Orlando and 27 other new cities at introductory fares starting at $99 each way.

The move is virtually certain to trigger a fierce fight between neighboring airlines — Southwest, the most profitable U.S. carrier, and American Airlines, the nation’s biggest. American hinted it would slash prices on flights from nearby Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

source: Orlando Sentinel

When Southwest Airlines launches its inaugural routes from Washington Dulles International on Thursday, its operations at nearby Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) could be harmed, the Baltimore Sun reports.

As the leading low-cost carrier, Southwest has a history of expanding into new markets to broaden its customer base as it follows its vastly successful and long-standing business plan of offering choice and cheap fares.

However, its latest move in starting service from a second airport nearby – just 60 miles from Baltimore – could impinge on its own local business and has led to some criticism.

Southwest has refuted these suggestions, however, pointing to its success in integrating four airports in and around the Los Angeles and southern California area.

source: Cheapflights.co.uk