Southwest Airlines will revamp its schedule this fall, eliminating unpopular flights, increasing “prime time” service and adding five daily nonstop flights to Boston from Chicago and Baltimore on Aug. 16. One-way flights from Denver to Boston with a stop in Chicago or Baltimore will initially cost as little as $99, before taxes and fees.
The new fall schedule “is very reflective of the economic environment that we all find ourselves in,” Southwest officials said in a statement.
Because of economic uncertainty, decreased traffic and high energy prices, Southwest is being “extremely cautious” about the number of flights scheduled for the August-October period, which is traditionally a slow traffic time, officials said.
During the summer schedule, 80 percent of Southwest’s flights have departed in the “prime time” of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“By eliminating a number of unpopular flights that leave earlier than 7 a.m. or later than 7 p.m. in the schedule beginning Aug. 16, that percentage increases to 86 percent,” Southwest said. Ann Schrader, The Denver Post
