Why Southwest Can Succeed in the Airline Industry

Southwest began servicing Manchester, N.H., to Baltimore/Washington in June 1998 operating 12 flights daily. In March 1999, Southwest began operating 12 daily flights out of MacArthur Airport on Long Island with service to Baltimore/Washington, Chicago Midway, Nashville, and Tampa Bay. Service to Raleigh- Durham began in June offering 12 flights a day to Baltimore/Washington, Chicago Midway, Tampa Bay and Orlando. In May 2000, Southwest began operating 12 daily flights out of Albany, New York. 2001 saw Southwest expand into West Palm Beach, Florida in January, and Norfolk, Virginia in October.
Cutting costs is second nature to Southwest Airlines, whose low fares are paramount to penny-pinching travelers. It is no wonder, then, that they became the first carrier to launch an online reservation-booking site in April 1996. …