Right on the heels of Southwest terminating flights between Spokane and Seattle (due to low loads), Alaska Airlines / Horizon has announced that it will be filling that gap with Horizon flights.   Alaska already services that route but they are offering more flights and should be doing so with its Bombardier Q400 fleet which is ideally suited to that route and which will provide just as quick service but costing the airline far less than it costs Southwest to operate 737s.

This is why I believe that Southwest has to start looking at aircraft that can operate such fleets with less cost.  The 717 can’t offer the cost savings that a right size regional jet and/or Q400 can.  And, frankly, I think the Q400 could be operated *very* effectively by Southwest in its smaller markets. 

While Southwest says it doesn’t operate hubs (and it really doesn’t), it does operate focus cities that would benefit greatly with feed.  For example, imagine Wichita, KS flights to Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Denver.  Or flights from places such as Boise, Spokane, Salem or Salt Lake city to Portland and/or Seattle.

There are plenty of places where those aircraft could operate not only very efficiently but at no loss of schedule time either.  Think flights into focus cities such as Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, Phoenix, Atlanta, Baltimore, and several cities in Florida.

If Southwest is prepared to be a multi-type fleet, then the Q400 and Embraer E-170 series have something to offer them.

Filed under: Airline Fleets, Airline News by ajax