Southwest is coming to San Francisco

Southwest Airlines will serve San Francisco with 18 flights per day from August 26, Chief Executive Gary Kelly has announced.

Eight daily flights will link San Francisco International with San Diego; there will be seven daily flights to Las Vegas, and an additional three to Chicago Midway.

The home of the Golden Gate will become the 64th city served by the low-cost carrier, complementing Bay Area links with Oakland and San Jose. To celebrate, the airline is selling one-way fares for upwards of $39 (without taxes and fees), from all three northern Californian airports.

"Southwest Airlines is California's largest intrastate carrier, and our initial 18 daily nonstop flights from San Francisco International will add to our Bay Area presence, while giving our customers additional access to the entire Southwest network," said Kelly.

"The demand for Southwest's low fares and excellent customer service continues to be strong," he added.

One-way flights to Chicago from the Bay Area start at $99; Las Vegas links start at $59; while hops to San Diego now cost from $39 when bought at least 21 days in advance of travel.

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