Southwest Airlines Unveils Low Fares On Nonstop Flights At Love Field
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas Love Field is quickly becoming a battleground for low airfares and the consumer is winning.
First, Virgin America announced an introductory fare sale featuring $79 and $99 one way air fares on non-stop flights to Dallas. On Monday, it was Hometown Southwest Airlines' turn offering the same introductory low fares.
Kevin Krone, Southwest Airlines Chief Marketing Officer says, "Southwest Airlines loves to offer low fares. That's what we do. That's what we're known for, and that's what we're going to keep being known for."
Southwest's sale lasts for four days, but the low fares extend through the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The new nonstop flights on both Southwest and Virgin America begin after the flight restrictions at Love Field known as the Wright Amendment end October 13. They say competition is good, so we wondered how good it is with the air fare battle.
CBS 11 News spoke with Rick Seaney at farecompare.com, an airfare comparison website based in North Dallas to find out. Seaney says he expected Southwest's one-way fares as low as $79, but not that the low fares would be available through January 4. He says, "It's a bit of a surprise."
Seaney checked flights for us between Love Field and LAX, leaving here Tuesday, November 4th and returning Tuesday the 11th.
On Southwest, the roundtrip fare is $198. Virgin America matched the fare Monday afternoon at $198 roundtrip.
Leaving Love Field for New York before Thanksgiving on Tuesday, November 25th, and returning Saturday the 29th will cost $298 roundtrip on Southwest.
But as of Monday afternoon, Virgin America's roundtrip fare those same days is $758.
A Virgin America spokeswoman though says the airline regularly offers $99 one way fares to New York, Los Angeles, and Washington Reagan National from Love Field.
It's $117 one way between Love Field and San Francisco. Seaney says, "I know it's hard to think about five to six months in advance, but this is a great time to shop. You won't see these prices."
He says the airlines will match fares on competing routes. American Airlines matched some of the airfares out of DFW International Airport, but the sale went through late Monday night.
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