Southwest to fly Phoenix to O’Hare, Colorado Springs
When Southwest Airlines expands its network this spring, there will be two new nonstop destinations from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
The airline announced Oct. 28 that its new service to Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Colorado Springs Municipal Airport will include nonstop flights to Phoenix.
The announcement comes as many airlines have cut back their routes and schedules due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In statistics released Oct. 28, Sky Harbor showed that in September it had a 54 percent decrease in traffic compared with September 2019. That is a significant improvement from April when Sky Harbor saw just 15% of the passengers it would normally see at that time of year.
While travelers are still hesitant to return to flying, airlines have reported strong bookings to leisure destinations, especially those to ski and sun destinations, like Phoenix.
In Southwest’s third quarter earnings call, Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly spoke about the decision to add new destinations. He said the airline would leverage “additional airports in cornerstone cities where our customer base is large, along with adding easier access to popular leisure-oriented destinations from across our domestic-focused network.
“These additional service points on our map are low-risk opportunities we can provide customers now, all the while better positioning Southwest as travel demand rebounds,” Kelly said.
Chicago O’Hare: The Dallas-based carrier made waves when it announced it would expand into Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The airline has operated out of Chicago’s Midway International Airport for 35 years and will continue to do so.
Southwest will launch its service from O’Hare on Feb. 14. Tickets are on sale now with fares starting at $109 one way from Phoenix.
Colorado Springs: Southwest’s plans to expand in Colorado will also include a nonstop to Phoenix. The airline will launch twice-daily service between Sky Harbor and Colorado Springs starting March 11. Tickets are on sale now and start at $59 one way.
Details: www.southwest.com.