Southwest Airlines will start once-a-day flights between RDU Airport and Houston's Hobby Airport on June 3, RDU says.
The flight will depart RDU at 4:20pm, arriving at Houston at 6:05pm. The return flight leaves Houston at 1:20pm and arrives at RDU at 5pm.
Houston will become the 12th destination city for Southwest service from RDU. Teresa Damiano, RDU deputy airport director, said Houston will give RDU travelers an alternative connection to key West Coast cities.
Southwest Airlines, the busiest carrier at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, is running a fare sale tied to its 40th anniversary.
Tickets start at $40 each way for flights up to 450 miles. Flights of 451 to 1,250 miles are $80 one-way, and 1,251 miles or more are $120 one-way. The sale ends Thursday at midnight and tickets are good for travel between Aug. 23 and Nov. 16.
There are other catches, including a limited number of tickets available at the sale prices and blackout dates around Labor Day and Columbus Day. Oh, and taxes and fees aren't included.
But still, given the recent surge in ticket prices as oil prices spiked, the sale is likely to attract travelers.
Tom Parsons, CEO of Bestfares.com, told USA Today that the anniversary promotion is the "biggest airfare sale of 2011."
"This is the first time that I can remember in my 30 years of tracking airfares that I have seen airfares from over 100 U.S. cities as low as $40 one-way," Parsons said.
JetBlue Airways, the discount airline with flights to three destinations from Raleigh-Durham International Airport, will move its operations into Terminal 2 starting Wednesday. [See 5/12/11 story "At RDU, a flourish for Terminal 2; a fix for Terminal 1."]
Passengers who fly JetBlue to New York Kennedy, Boston and Fort Lauderdale will use gates C8 and C10 in the new Terminal 2.
The move will leave Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airlines, whose merger was completed last week, as the only carriers using Terminal 1.
AirTran will move later this month into the north end of Terminal 1, where Southwest is located now, so RDU can close the main part of the building in advance of a Terminal 1 renovation project that will start next year.
Fire crews were called out this afternoon for a Southwest Airlines jet that was diverted to Raleigh-Durham International Airport after the pilot reported a hazy mist in the cabin.
The Boeing 737 landed without incident at RDU shortly after 4:30 p.m. and taxied to the gate, and its 46 passengers and five crew members got off the plane. Jackson, Miss., was the destination of Flight 2771 from Baltimore.
“We secured the plane, but they did not need our assistance,” said Mindy Hamlin, an airport spokeswoman. ... [MORE]
Southwest Airlines, one of the busiest carriers at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, is raising fares for the first time in 2011.
The increase of $4 to $10 per roundtrip ticket is being matched by other major airlines including American, Delta, United, Continental and US Airways, the Associated Press reports.
Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins told the AP that the increases will help offset higher fuel and operating costs. Airlines, which lost billions in 2008 and 2009, turned profitable again last year, fueled partly by higher ticket prices and various fees. Most carriers are expected to make money again this year, even with surging oil prices, as the economic recovery spurs more travel.
Southwest raised prices $2 each way on trips up to 500 miles, $3 for 501 to 1,000 miles, and $5 each way on longer flights, the AP reports.
Southwest Airlines announced this morning that it plans to buy AirTran for about $1.4 billion, as consolidation continues to reshape the airline industry.
One of Raleigh-Durham International Airport's busiest carriers, Southwest is buying AirTran to gain more exposure to existing markets such as New York and Boston, as well as new markets. The deal is one of the first unions between the nation's discount carriers.
Last year, Southwest handled 21.25 percent of passengers at RDU, while AirTran handled 4.86 percent, according to RDU data. AirTran currently has direct nonstops between RDU and Atlanta, where the carrier is based.
Some good news for Triangle travelers: Southwest Airlines will consider adding nonstop flights to the New York area from Raleigh-Durham International Airport, which could increase competition and bring down fares.
Southwest announced an agreement on Friday to lease space at New Jersey's Newark airport from Continental Airlines.
The bad news is that RDU is only on Southwest's list of possible destinations from Newark, and so are most of the other airports the carrier serves, spokeswoman Ashley Dillon said Friday.
Airline officials expect to announce routes from Newark by November. Flights would start in March with a full schedule in place by June.
Southwest Airlines, one of the busiest carriers at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, plans to fill a gap in its service area and begin flights to South Carolina.
The discount carrier announced today that it will add Charleston and Greenville-Spartanburg to the 68 U.S. cities it now serves. Southwest plans to release details such as start dates, destinations and fares later.
It's not clear whether Southwest will consider RDU for South Carolina flights. No airline currently flies nonstop between RDU and Charleston or Greenville-Spartanburg, both about 250 miles away.
But Southwest is expanding its service at RDU.
At Raleigh-Durham International Airport, the world's largest airline will still trail rivals Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
United and Continental announced this morning that they're joining forces to form United Continental Holdings. If the deal wins shareholder and antitrust approvals later this year, the company would pass Delta as the world's largest carrier.
But at RDU, the combined United Continental would still offer fewer flights than Delta, American or Southwest. From RDU, United offers direct flights to Washington Dulles and Chicago O'Hare, while Continental has nonstops to Houston, Cleveland and Newark.
In 2009, Continental handled 5.87 percent of the flights at RDU, while United handled 4 percent.
Delta merged with Northwest Airlines to take the top spot at RDU last year, with 24.12 percent of flights. American and American Eagle followed with 22.88 percent. Southwest was close behind with 21.25 percent.
It's too soon to tell how the United-Continental union will effect RDU, said airport spokesman Andrew Sawyer.
The carriers are merging with the goal of boosting revenue, especially from international and corporate travel. Consumer advocates have warned that reduced competition in the airline industry could hurt consumers.
Southwest Airlines, one of the busiest carriers at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, plans to charge passengers for Wi-Fi, the Los Angeles Times reports.
While the plan is in keeping with other airlines, it marks a different strategy for the low-cost, no-fee carrier.
Most airlines charge a fee to use airborne wireless Internet based on the length of the flight, ranging from $5.95 for flights lasting up to 90 minutes to $12.95 for flights lasting more than three hours, the newspaper reports.
