Bradley adds Nashville route
WINDSOR LOCKS — Bradley International Airport announced Thursday the launch of a Southwest Airlines route to and from Nashville, Tenn., a major boost for the airport as it deals with the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic.
The daily, nonstop service departs from Windsor Locks-based Bradley at 6:10 p.m. EST and arrives at Nashville International Airport at 7:50 p.m. CST starting today. The inbound flight leaves Nashville at 7:30 p.m. CST and arrives at Bradley at 10:40 p.m. EST. The service uses a Boeing 737.
“We are excited to launch Southwest Airlines’
nonstop service to Nashville from Bradley International Airport,” Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, which owns and operates Bradley, said in a statement. “Nashville is a popular destination that also offers key connectivity to major destinations across Southwest’s west coast
network. The launch of this service significantly enhances our nonstop offering for our travelers, and with its introduction we are pleased to strengthen our long-standing partnership with Southwest Airlines.”
Southwest has served Bradley for more than 20 years. It also runs direct flights to and from Baltimore; Chicago; Denver; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Fort Myers, Fla. Orlando, Fla.; Tampa, Fla.; and West Palm Beach, Fla.
The new route will help Bradley offset the huge drop-off in passenger traffic that it has seen during the past year as a result of the pandemic. A total of about 2.4 million travelers passed through Bradley in 2020, down 64 percent from 2019.
Diminished passenger levels have inevitably led to greatly reduced airline service. At times in the past year, Bradley’s daily flight volume has plunged more than 50 percent from levels before the pandemic, according to CAA officials.
CAA officials have sought to rein costs to keep the airport attractive to airlines. In a related move, they want to start moving non-union employees to defined-contribution retirement plans to potentially save millions of dollars annually. But the proposal has stalled after the state legislature’s Transportation Committee declined to advance supporting legislation.
Amid its recent struggles, Bradley has maintained its reputation as one of the country’s leading small airports. It ranked No. 7 in USA Today’s 2021 10 Best Readers’ Choice travel contest.
The USA Today recommendation marked Bradley’s second national recognition in the past year. It also ranked as a top-10 airport in the 2020 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice survey.
Bradley officials have sought to allay passengers’ concerns about traveling by implementing a number of health-and-safety measures, including on-site COVID-19 testing .