LUV/LGA Comment

November 19, 2008 – 11:11 am

Sorry, I’ve been busy at work(school) this past week so have been unable to post as much as I would normally prefer.  However, I wanted to comment on Southwest’s announcement that they are seeking gates at LGA.  Given Southwest’s move to “Business Select”, this should be viewed as a move into the busines market.  So, let’s assume LGA-MDW, LGA-BWI, LGA-PVD and LGA-HOU (maybe).  On one end, as the OTR pointed out, the CHI-NYC price wars can hit rock bottom prices.  But, at the same time, the business pricing still exists, even with JetBlue’s entrance into the market.  Southwest walk-up fares tend to be less expensive and this could seriously eat into legacy carriers if the corporate travelers remeber to ask their booking agent to check Southwest flights.  

As for Southwest’s operational ability in the delay-plauged LGA, I don’t see why they can’t handle it.  They are good at what they do and can turn in a plane in under 20 minutes if they need to.  LGA is small and although is clogged, the taxi times (back to the gate) are not that long.  So, they just need to build an extra hour into the schedule and I can see them performing. 

  1. One Response to “LUV/LGA Comment”

  2. Should the acquisition of ATA’s gates, this could bring greater competition to United & American Airlines.

    By John C. Couleur on Nov 20, 2008

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