Southwest adds Phoenix and Tampa flights
Discount carrier Southwest Airlines has announced it is adding new direct flights from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Phoenix, Arizona and Tampa, Florida.
The new flight means Southwest will increase their daily departures from Pittsburgh from ten to 19. This could be a major challenge to the struggling US Airways, which is currently the biggest carrier at Pittsburgh International Airport.
Furthermore, Phoenix is the home of US Airways' merger partner, the discount carrier America West Airlines. The merger will make the combined airline larger in size than Southwest, but competition for the Phoenix and Pittsburgh markets could be fierce, meaning cheaper airfares.
Recently, airlines across the board announced price increases as they all try to cope with soaring jet fuel prices that have seriously hurt profits.
Southwest's direct flights between Pittsburgh and Phoenix will begin on November 22, and the non-stop route to Tampa will begin at the end of October. Airfares are on sale now and should range from $79 to $99 each way.
By the end of November, Southwest will have more direct flights from Pittsburgh to Chicago, Las Vegas, and Philadelphia.
Southwest is hoping that its expansion in Pittsburgh will be as successful as its experience on the other side of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Southwest began serving the "city of brotherly love" in 2004 with 14 flights to six cities, and after one year its Philadelphia service rocketed to 46 flights to 17 cities.
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