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Update: Southwest to begin flights from Boston's Logan Airport

11:39 AM Thu, Feb 19, 2009 | Permalink
By Business staff

By Business staff

Southwest Airlines, the biggest passenger carrier from T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, plans to begin flying out of Logan International Airport in Boston this fall.

Southwest plans to start with 8 to 12 daily departures from Logan and probably would initially fly to just a couple of destinations. Currently, Southwest has 31 flights daily from T.F. Green.

Brad Hawkins, a spokesman for the low-cost airline, said Southwest at Logan would "augment what is already a strong presence for Southwest" in New England.

The head of the state agency that runs Green Airport said Southwest's announcement is not bad news for Rhode Island's major airport and could turn out to be good news in the long-run.

Kevin A. Dillon, president of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, said the Southwest flights out of Boston won't be competing for Southwest travelers who now fly out of Rhode Island. Instead, the discount carrier will compete in Boston with other low-cost carriers, such as AirTran and Jet Blue, already flying out of Logan.

Dillon said discount passengers already have the option to fly out of Boston and are unlikely to change which airport they use as a result of Southwest's move.

Dillon said Southwest officials talked to him on Wednesday and assured him of "their continued commitment to this market."

On the bright side, if Southwest gains a foothold in Boston, it could spur AirTran and Jet Blue to open service from Green. That competition could drive down airfares and increase passenger traffic through the Warwick airport.

In New England, Southwest flies into airports in Warwick, Manchester, N.H., and Hartford, Conn.

Dallas-based Southwest has 31 flights at T.F. Green and carries about half of all passengers at the airport, which has been reporting declining passenger traffic. In January, the number of passengers who used Green was down 10 percent from a year ago.

"We make this decision with some confidence about what the market can sustain and what is needed," Hawkins said.

Southwest won't unveil the new routes until this spring, he said.

The majority of its flights out of the Greater Boston area will continue to be from Manchester and Providence, Kelly said.

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