Southwest’s slip could be Birmingham’s gain

12.10.2010 by André Natta · → Leave a comment

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Southwest Airlines logo. Courtesy of official website.A report released earlier this week could give loyal customers of low-cost airline Southwest Airlines here in Birmingham, AL a reason to hope, though it could still be a long shot.

The latest U.S. Department of Transportation Air Travel Consumer Report shows that Southwest has dropped to eighth place for on-time arrival performance, its lowest finish since the government began to collect the information in 1987 (see page 6 for the rankings).

A couple of weeks ago WBHM’s Andrew Yeager filed a piece about what the planned acquisition of AirTran by the Dallas-based airline may mean for The Magic City.

Considering that several reports about the results suggest the airline’s expansion into larger airports is a major reason for the drop, it gives more credence to the idea that shifting flights from the major hub in Atlanta to Birmingham might help them regain their on-time bragging badge of honor over the long term.

Time will tell…

Image: Southwest Airlines logo. Courtesy of official website.

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