Southwest Airlines Announces 2011 Service to South Carolina

Southwest announced Tuesday it "intends" to begin flying to two South Carolina airports next year. In making the announcement, however, the carrier did not specify routes or other details about what it plans to offer at Charleston International and Greenville-Spartanburg International.

In announcing the service, Southwest said in a release that its service to South Carolina would "not be dependent on pending legislation to provide air service subsidies." The Associated Press explains the announcement was made as South Carolina lawmakers had begun debating subsidies and state incentives to lure low-cost carriers to the state. AP says that effort gained steam after AirTran exited Charleston in December, leaving South Carolina without a large low-cost carrier. State lawmakers says Southwest's decision cools the subsidy talk for now, that the issue is not dead.

As for Southwest's new service, the plans were welcome news at both airports. The Post and Courier of Charleston writes "both airports [have previously] felt the sting of losing discount airlines. Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, more than four years later, still suffers from Independence Air's collapse in 2006. AirTran, upon leaving Charleston, told local officials it needed more business travelers to succeed [there]."

The new destinations also will help Southwest expand its national footprint. AP notes Southwest "flies to 68 cities in the U.S. but still has some holes in its route map. It doesn't land anywhere between Raleigh-Durham, N.C. and Jacksonville, Fla.," though that will change with the addition of the South Carolina cities.

Looking at competition, The Dallas Morning News notes Delta is the top carrier at both Charleston while Delta affiliate Atlantic Southeast is tops at Greenville/Spartanburg. But the Morning News adds "both airports are dominated by regional carriers rather than major carriers flying larger jets."

One question likely to pop up among industry analysts about the new service is Southwest's decision to add Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP) instead of relatively nearby Charlotte, a major hub dominated by US Airways. While Southwest has historically preferred "secondary" airports like GSP, the carrier seemed to have buck that trend in recent years in favor of busier airports like Philadelphia, Denver, New York LaGuardia, Boston and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

(USA Today / Today in the Sky)