Southwest Airlines announces intent to begin service to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
DALLAS, TX - Southwest Airlines announced today its intent to begin service from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) in March 2009. The carrier has not released specific service details, saying only that it will begin a modest operation at MSP with flights to Chicago Midway only.
"Minneapolis-St. Paul's geographic location complements the vast Southwest Airlines network really well," said Gary Kelly, Southwest's chairman of the board, president and CEO. "We have studied and been interested in serving this very popular market for quite some time, and we look forward to bringing our low fares and legendary customer service to the people of Minnesota.
"Presently, we intend to grow our 2009 fleet by no more than ten Boeing 737-700 aircraft. We recently deferred four aircraft scheduled for delivery from Boeing in 2009 to 2016. While it is very likely we will not grow our available seat miles in 2009, our new schedule optimization tools allow us to better manage our fleet and adjust our flight schedule to take advantage of great opportunities such as Minneapolis-St. Paul," Kelly said.
The company plans to release more details of its future service to Minneapolis-St. Paul in the coming months.
"One of the most frequent questions I have been asked over the years is, 'When is Southwest Airlines coming to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport?' Today, I can finally give people the answer we have been working toward: 'Very, very soon.' I am confident Southwest will receive overwhelming community support for its new service to the Twin Cities," said executive director of Metropolitan Airport Commission Jeff Hamiel. "The Metropolitan Airports Commission stands ready to assist the airline in establishing and growing service to Minnesota."
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