Southwest Airlines details launch plan for its 16th new city
Southwest's route map is about to get two more lines.
On Thursday, the Dallas-based carrier announced launch plans for Eugene, Oregon (EUG) — the 16th airport announced or started by the carrier since the pandemic began in the U.S.
Southwest will fly three daily routes to the city from two of its largest West Coast operating bases. Twice-daily service from Oakland (OAK) and once-daily service from Las Vegas (LAS) begins on Aug. 29, 2021.
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Adding service to Eugene has been a long time coming for Southwest, as Andrew Watterson, Southwest's chief operating officer, told TPG in an interview. "A lot of the cities that we've announced were on our wish list, but we've been starved for aircraft for a few years now... Now we're able to go pretty deep in our wish list because we have ample aircraft due to the demand shortfalls of the pandemic."
Southwest, and its competitors, have been busy beefing up service to outdoor-friendly destinations during the pandemic. As leisure travelers return to the skies, they're heading to beaches and national parks with plenty of built-in social distancing.
Related: Southwest unveils major summer expansion with a whopping 36 routes
While Eugene offers some leisure activities like riverside parks and trails, Watterson told TPG that the move is designed to open a brand-new market to the carrier. Southwest doesn't have many Rapid Rewards frequent flyer members based in the area, and there's "a lot of new customer potential for us."
To help market the new service, Southwest has enlisted the local airport authorities and municipality to spread the word. The carrier received an incentive package that includes things like waived landing fees, but the "biggest benefit for us is that the airport and chamber of commerce talks us up and gets it known in the community. That is more valuable than money because that really helps turbocharge the maturation."
Right now, Southwest is "under-penetrated" in Eugene. Most locals either choose a competitor — Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, United and newcomer Avelo offer service there — or drive two hours north to Portland to catch a flight.
But Southwest sees value in the community at large. There are two large schools nearby, the University of Oregon and Oregon State University, which should help bolster demand. "We think the outdoor part during COVID will be short-term interest, but longer-term, the universities will provide a lot of good back and forth traffic for visitation."
As for why Southwest chose to connect Eugene with Oakland and Las Vegas first, Watterson explained that this is the ideal "starting pattern." With the two nonstop routes, Southwest opens up more than 30 connecting itineraries from day one. "If we see people connecting over Oakland and Vegas to a certain location, then there'll be fodder for adding a nonstop," he said.
According to Watterson, there's also plenty of O&D (origin and destination) potential for the two routes. Turns out, Department of Transportation data analyzed by Cirium shows that nearly 50 people flew from Eugene to Oakland each day in 2019. That number jumps to 85 for Las Vegas.
More LUV: Southwest Airlines add 6 routes to 2 brand-new destinations
When you factor in connections, Southwest may not have a hard time filling its 143-seat Boeing 737-700s, especially for the locals going to Hawaii. "I think we have a pretty good Hawaii offering via Oakland... A nice leisure offering to Hawaii for post-pandemic will be a big hit," Watterson said. "So that'll be a good way to start people off because Hawaii is a good allure."
Eugene is the latest new pin for Southwest's route map. In March, Southwest announced its intention to add three more cities, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (MYR); Bellingham, Washington (BLI); and Eugene, Oregon (EUG). The carrier already detailed its introductory service to MYR with ten new routes. Bellingham service is slated to begin in the second half of 2021.
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Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees