Chattanooga would be a great market for Southwest Airlines. Why doesn the Airport just get them?
Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport would gladly welcome Southwest Airlines, but it is highly unlikely Southwest will serve Chattanooga in the near future. The Airport has approached Southwest Airlines and was told that this market does not currently meet the low-fare airline’s requirements for population and travel demand. Southwest concentrates on markets that are densely populated or have extremely high demand for travel to specific destinations. The company receives more than 150 proposals annually and generally adds only one or two cities to their route system each year. Southwest’s business model requires they have sufficient demand to support 8 – 12 round trip flights a day aboard a Boeing 737 aircraft seating between 122 and 137 people to at least two destinations. That is more than all CHA’s carriers put together. Airport leaders are always working with airlines to improve service. As the Chattanooga market changes or airline business plans alter, potential partners emerge. The A
