@@facebook=
#!/daytondailynews/posts/232027880211456@@
Southwest Airlines announced Friday that Dayton International Airport will become part of its route system, a move that will result in lower fares and more destinations for local travelers, officials said.
“This is a big announcement for our community and it has huge economic ramifications for people who want to travel out of the Dayton market,” Terrence Slaybaugh, director of aviation with the city of Dayton said. “It helps the business community because the Southwest effect on a market is that their fares (reduce) the fares of other carriers.
“We will have the largest, most successful low-cost carrier in the history of the airline business operating out of our market,” added Slaybaugh .
“We hope this ultimately will mean there will be a much bigger footprint, many more destinations and the real winners will be airport travelers out of Dayton,” said Phil Parker, president and chief executive of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce.
Southwest, which completed its purchase of AirTran Airways in May for $1 billion, said it is converting AirTran operations at 22 airports, including Dayton’s, into Southwest operations over time.
The airline also is discontinuing service at six other airports.
AirTran, one of six carriers at the Dayton airport, is the second-busiest carrier locally. AirTran has eight flights a day out of Dayton: three to Atlanta ; three to Baltimore ; and one each to Tampa, Fla., and Orlando, Fla.
But Southwest is a much larger carrier with an enormous route system, and the company over time will expand air service from Dayton to new markets, Slaybaugh said. More travelers from across the region will choose the Dayton airport as their departure site, he said.
“More cities that Southwest serves will open up to people in the Dayton market,” he said.
“I would hope over time this would provide passengers out of the Dayton market with better service to the West Coast and the Southwest.”
Southwest in November announced that it would use AirTran equipment to start providing air service from Dayton to Denver.
Southwest serves about 72 destinations in 37 states, including Austin, Texas; San Francisco ; Omaha ; Salt Lake City ; and Phoenix . The company operates more than 3,300 flights each day, and has 37,000 employees.
Southwest provided no time frame for the conversion.
Slaybaugh, however, said he does not expect to see many changes until 2013.
Parker said chamber and airport officials stayed in contact with Southwest after the company announced its acquisition of AirTran.
Parker said they built a strong case for Southwest coming to Dayton, and the company clearly saw the advantage of expanding into the market.
The 21 other U.S. cities served by AirTran that will eventually switch to Southwest service are: Akron-Canton; Flint and Grand Rapids, Mich.; Rochester, N.Y.; Pensacola and Key West, Fla.; Charlotte, N.C.; Richmond, Va.; Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C.; Memphis, Tenn.; Wichita, Kan.; Des Moines, Iowa; Branson, Mo.; Portland, Maine; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Cancun, Mexico; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Aruba; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Bermuda; and Nassau, Bahamas.
Southwest said AirTran will pull out of Allentown and Harrisburg, Pa.; Lexington, Ky.; Sarasota, Fla.; Huntsville, Ala.; and White Plains, N.Y., on Aug. 12.