Taking forward its latest stream of international operations, passenger carrier Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) has filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation to fly to Costa Rica. Once operational, it will serve as Southwest Airlines’ first Central American destination.
The daily roundtrip service will connect Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI) in Baltimore, WA and Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in San Jose, Costa Rica. The new route is expected to be launched from Aug 7, 2015. Tickets will be available as soon as all necessary regulatory approvals are secured. The carrier will use The Boeing Co.’s (BA) 143 seater-B-737-700 jets for the route.
The Baltimore-San Jose route is the first international destination that was not served earlier by the carrier's subsidiary, AirTran. Notably, it will be the first scheduled non-stop service to Costa Rica from BWI.
After operating for several decades within the U.S. domestic market, Southwest Airlines finally began flying into international territory effective Jul 2014. The carrier inaugurated services from Atlanta, Baltimore and Orlando to Oranjestad, Aruba and Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines expanded its international service to Cancun and Los Cabos in Mexico in August and plans additional flights to Mexico City and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic from Nov 2, 2014.
Having established itself as a top carrier with an expanded national footprint, Southwest Airlines now plans to expedite the launch of international flights from seven U.S. cities by the end of this year as the carrier completes its integration with its wholly owned subsidiary AirTran.
Baltimore remains an important market for Southwest Airlines, which is the biggest U.S. carrier operating in and out of the city, with 204 daily flights to 60 different locations. Till mid-2014, Southwest Airlines accounted for 71.2% of Baltimore’s traffic miles, ahead of its traditional rival Delta Airlines Inc. (DAL), which flew 9.4% of the region’s air passengers.
The latest cross-border service is expected to further strengthen Southwest Airlines’ presence in the Baltimore market by connecting Costa Rica-bound passengers from nearby small and medium-sized cities.
Southwest Airlines currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). A similar ranked stock worth mentioning within the aviation sector is Save Airlines Inc. (SAVE).
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Get all Zacks Research Reports and be alerted to fast-breaking buy and sell opportunities every trading day.
Be the first to comment