Southwest to start flying out of Phila in May!

[helenk]

I heard on the news today that Southwest is to announce that starting in May they will fly out of Phila airport. I was going to book my tickets for my June trip but I think I will wait a bit. Even if Southwest does not have the flights I want, it may bring the cost of the USAir flights down.

 

[puffkin]

I heard this today as well, and I think it is great. I generally have been very pleased with USAir, but a little competition never hurts.

helenk-
June 26th is the date of our wedding! We already have our tickets booked for our honeymoon for June 27 through USAir. We are going on the Disney Cruise, so I wanted to get one of the first flights out of PHL, so when the price hit $200, I jumped. It will be interesting to see what USAir does for that time period with Southwest competing. If the prices do drop, hopefully I can get a voucher. If not, at least for future trips it will give us an extra option.

 

[helenk]

puffkin,
Congrats on your wedding. Our trip was originally scheduled for July but my son, who is 21 decided to start training to be a police officer and will actually be attending classes at Reading Area Community College. Classes start July 6th so we moved up our trip.
.
I too like USAir, I have used them for all of my trips. I had not booked our flights for this trip yet as one person was still on the fence about going and I was going to wait for November. Since we had to change our dates I am glad I did not book the flights yet. The lowest price has been $206.00 (after taxes etc) I am hoping that the prices will come down a little, now that there will be a bit more competition.

 

[Candice30]

it would be so great if southwest started flying out of philly. i usually pay around $150 so this $200 tickets have been killing me. i am going to orlando 06/28-07/02 and it is a little soon for low tickets but i still like to have all of my t's crossed and i's dotted. did they say when southwest would start booking from philly?

 

[zurgswife]

I'm very excited about this also....

 

[helenk]

I am not sure when they will start taking reservations, I know even with the flights they have in other cities they are only scheduling up to the beginning of April.
Hopefully they will have some information on their website in the near future.
Here is the blurb from KYW's website:

Southwest Airlines Coming to PHL Airport
The nation's biggest discount air carrier is about to add Philadelphia to its network.

Southwest Airlines is announcing that it will begin flying in and out of Philadelphia International Airport come this spring.
Charles Isdell, the city's aviation director, called it the biggest change at the airport in his lifetime.
It will mean that more poeple will fly who couldn't afford to do it before, he says. The new service also is expected to attract repeat flyers.
Southwest is known for its prompt service and discount fares. It has no reserved seating and offers no in-flight meals.

 

[Jecca]

I think this is great! More competition is exactly what the Philly airport needs. I've been saying this for years. It made me cringe that flights on USAir from Philly were always so much higher than comparable flights from Baltimore. I've been flying AirTran lately and have been perfectly happy with them. But it'll be nice to have one more airline to check out.

My question is this: Does anyone know if Southwest will be offering non-stop service to Orlando?

 

[KelNottAt]

We've been flying Southwest out of Baltimore for as long as they've been here. We love SWA!

The only negative I can share is that their appearance at BWI didn't drive any other carriers to lower their prices, IMO. BWI is a USAir hub, and they're still pushin' $350 - $400 per seat round trip from BWI to MCO. I can usually get SWA BWI to MCO for well under $200.

I agree wholeheartedly, competition is great. (And I wish the best for my fellow DISers in Philly.) But only Air Tran matches SWA prices out of BWI.

Kelley

 

[helenk]

While listening to the news on the way home one of the higher ups with SW indicated that fares and schedules will be announced in December.
AirTran offers some good rates out of Phila, their schedules are even getting better, the direct flights from MCO are leaving a bit later. I do not care who I get a good price from Southwest, Air Tran or UsAir. Another airline in Philly just gives us a bit more to chose from.

 

[Candice30]

did i read right. southwest doesn't allow you to reserve seats? has this been a problem for anyone. it always makes me nervous that my family won't end up in seats next to me and this time i am taking 2 small children that have never flown before!

 

[KelNottAt]

Yes, it's true. Southwest doesn't assign seats. It's first come first serve, just like a bus.

However, disabled passengers and families with small children get to board first...no matter how many people are in your party. So, for you, as long as you have a child under age 5, you should have no trouble finding seats all together.

It's also been my experience with children older than 5 that SWA passengers are friendly and flexible. Every time I've asked someone to move so we could stay together they've cheerfully cooperated.

Kelley

 

[Candice30]

is 5 the cutoff to board early? my niece and nephew are 7 and 11? i guess if we get stuck sitting separately, i can ask someone to move.

 

[marcyinPA]

I just booked USair today, from Philly to MCO for $206.50 per ticket. I kept shopping around, between LVIA, Newark, and Philly, but USairs times and prices were more attractive than anyone else. I considered SEAL out of LVIA, but the only flight out on the day we leave is at 5 something at night. Too late to get to WDW for us!!

I am one of those people who need to have my ducks in a row early, so I'm glad I booked them! Now I can focus on other details (like how the heck am I going to pay for this....LOL)

WoooHooo! One step closer to our week in the World~