Southwest Airlines in a move focused on their marketing push towards full-fare business travelers, has offered a bid to the bankruptcy court for ATA’s LaGuardia landing and take-off slots. This move, if approved by the court, will give Southwest a LaGuardia presence with seven round trips daily.
The $7.5 million bid will make Southwest a new player in the New York airspace. After avoiding the New York area except for limited service from Islip, out on Long Island, Southwest has obviously decided from a business-traveler point of view, LaGuardia had to be included in their schedules.
New service is expected to start next year should the bankruptcy courts release the slots to Southwest. No other parts of ATA are being purchased by Southwest, only the take-off and landing slots.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
