And, no, I don’t mean Islip on Long Island.  Southwest plans to purchase the operating certificate of ATA Airlines, now in liquidation, and ATA’s 14 slots to operate at New York’s La Guardia Airport.  Even with Southwest’s reputation for surprising the industry, this is a pretty stunning surprise.

Operating into NYC’s La Guardia Airport is contrary to Southwest’s operating model in every sense.  The airport is congested, expensive to operate in and certainly does not offer an opportunity to perform the famous 30 Minute Turn.   The airport (like all airports in NYC) is subject to weather both in the winter and summer and that certainly doesn’t mean on time departures and arrivals.

I actually can’t help but wonder if this is part of a greater plan that may or may not involve a new or existing partner for Southwest Airlines.   Perhaps these NYC slots will be used for limited flights by Southwest to other focus cities as well as offering WestJet and Volaris a chance to connect with Southwest in a huge market. 

There has to be more to this idea than just Southwest wanting to operate directly into NYC.  Look for further developments in this area and don’t even be surprised if it involves a European partner airline as well.

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