NEWS
By Andrea K. Walker | October 21, 2009
Kevin Crowley's job as a computer salesman for Hewlett-Packard requires a lot of travel, and lately his company is telling him to do it as cheaply as possibly. So even though the Montgomery County resident could fly from any of three nearby airports, he usually bypasses Reagan National and Dulles in search of the cheapest fares. "If I'm going to fly, it's normally going to be from BWI," Crowley said after checking in for a flight to Orlando this week. He said the airport is also easier to drive to than others in the region.
NEWS
By Andrea K. Walker | October 7, 2009
AirTran Airways is looking to make Baltimore a major stop in its flight plan and moved a little further in that direction Tuesday by adding daily flights to New Orleans and Indianapolis. They were the latest of a number of new flights the airline has announced will come to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. In December and February, it will begin flights to the Caribbean, including to Nassau, Bahamas, and Montego Bay, Jamaica. For the first time this year, it will also begin operating flights to Los Angeles year round instead of seasonally.
NEWS
By Michelle Deal-Zimmerman | August 23, 2009
Nationwide airfare sale What's the deal?: Southwest is offering discounted airfares with one-way tickets starting as low as $59 to select destinations nationwide. From Baltimore, travel to Boston; Detroit; Cleveland; and Raleigh, N.C., among other cities, for $59 each way. Tickets must be booked by Sept. 3, for travel Sept. 9 to Jan. 7. Sale fares apply to flights every day except Fridays and Sundays, from Sept. 9 to Jan. 7. Meanwhile, AirTran is running a similar sale with flights to Boston; Charlotte, N.C.; and Rochester, N.Y., starting at $39 one-way.
NEWS
By a Baltimore Sun staff writer | May 7, 2009
The rest of the world may be in a recession, but it doesn't seem like it at AirTran Airways. The Florida-based airline recently posted its best-ever profit after heavy losses last year and is expanding service by 13 flights to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where it is the second-largest discount carrier. The airline, which turned a first-quarter profit, expects to remain profitable through the rest of the year. This all comes as people are spending less on travel because of the weak economy and other airlines are losing money, including Southwest Airlines, AirTran's biggest competitor at BWI. AirTran executives said their good fortune is the result of heavy cost-cutting last year as it anticipated the slowdown in the economy well ahead of other airlines.
NEWS
By Tricia Bishop | August 10, 2008
So it's August. Prime time for picnics and pool parties. It's also time to plan end-of-the-year holiday travel. Seriously. Now. Airlines plan to significantly cut flights after Labor Day, decreasing seating by 10 percent, while increasing ticket prices. And those prices are likely to continue rising through the fall, industry watchers said, with flights for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's filling up fast. If you wait to book, you run the risk of paying more for a slim selection.
NEWS
By Laura McCandlish | June 27, 2008
Southwest Airlines said yesterday that it would add a net total of nine round-trip flights to its network in November, bumping up capacity at a time when most major carriers have announced cuts and plans to reduce airplane fleets to contend with skyrocketing fuel costs. But as oil prices hover close to $140 a barrel, Southwest, the biggest carrier at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, also said it would raise fares for the third time this year, increasing tickets by $5 to $10 for each leg of travel scheduled between Nov. 2 and Jan. 9. Southwest promoted its gradual fare increases as more transparent and customer-friendly than the "a la carte" charges and fees that other airlines have levied in recent months.
NEWS
By Meredith Cohn | June 28, 2007
Faced with a slowing economy and higher fuel prices, Southwest Airlines announced yesterday a rare curb on its fast-paced expansion that will include slashing nonstop transcontinental service from some cities, including Baltimore. Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Southwest's fourth-largest hub, will lose eight nonstop flights, effective in October and November. That's the most of any airport, and it means passengers traveling this fall will have to make stops on most flights to California.
NEWS
By Carolyn Bigda | May 20, 2007
With a busy travel season expected this summer, it may be difficult to find a last-minute deal. According to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Transportation, fares on domestic flights averaged $380 in the 2006 fourth quarter, up more than 3 percent from $367 the previous year. And with airlines filling nearly 80 percent of seats, the high prices are likely to persist. "As far as airfares, you see fewer and fewer deals because airlines have reduced capacity," said Michael Stitt, executive producer at Travelzoo Inc., which tracks and publishes travel deals.
NEWS
By McClatchy-Tribune | May 3, 2007
FORT WORTH, Texas -- So you have to catch a plane in a few hours to get to an unexpected business meeting. The cheapest fare, of course, will be on discount leader Southwest Airlines, which doesn't gouge last-minute passengers like other airlines. Right? Well ... maybe not. A new study from the University of California, Irvine suggests that it might pay to shop around before booking that Southwest ticket. The report concludes that last-minute airfares are more expensive on Southwest, on average, than on other airlines when consumers use online searches such as Orbitz or Travelocity.
NEWS
By MEREDITH COHN | July 6, 2006
When it comes to air travel, this is shaping up as the summer of the squeeze. Airlines raised prices again this week following the lead of low-fare leader Southwest Airlines, which is pinching wallets up to $10 more per flight segment. At the same time, planes are nearly full, leaving little room for legs and luggage. The fare increases are because of rising fuel prices, said officials at Southwest, which carries more passengers than any other U.S. airline and is the dominant carrier at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.