Will this route be just the first of many at the Twin Cities?

Minneapolis-St. Paul media are buzzing about Southwest Airlines’ recently-announced plans to initiate service at MSP Airport next year, wondering whether it will stick with its initial route plan – operating only between MSP and Chicago Midway – or whether that might just be the first step in a much larger expansion. They cite the example of Denver, where Southwest started small a couple of years ago, and now has a substantial – and still growing – route network. In any case, Southwest last week announced its schedule for MSP. Effective March 8, it will operate eight daily non-stops between the Minnesota airport and Chicago Midway; at MDW, MSP-originating flyers will be able take advantage of direct or connecting service to 30 other destinations. Southwest said it will operate out of Gate 7 in MSP’s Humphrey Terminal, and it is offering fares on the route as low as $69 each way. Southwest officials have already said that the airline has scaled back its growth plans for 2009. Southwest’s other March schedule changes show only one additional new non-stop market: Phoenix-Birmingham, with one daily roundtrip. Otherwise, the schedule shows only minor frequency changes – dropping one or two flights a day in some markets, adding a flight in others.