CHICAGO (WLS) — Southwest Airlines launched for the first time from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport Sunday.
The low-cost carrier served Midway Airport since 1985 but never at the North Side airport.
Midway Airport and the surround neighborhood saw one of the biggest snow totals in the city: about 18 inches.CHICAGO (WLS) — Southwest Airlines launched for the first time from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport Sunday.
The low-cost carrier served Midway Airport since 1985 but never at the North Side airport.
“Booked the tickets and had to do like a double take as far as it’s at O’Hare,” said Colin Uthe, Southwest Airlines passenger.
Travelers can now choose from 16 daily flights to Baltimore, Dallas, Denver, Nashville and Phoenix. Orlando will be added as a weekend destination starting in March.
“It’s been a long-time coming, but we’re excited to get to north Chicago,” said Dave Harvey, Southwest Airlines vice president.
Harvey hopes the expansion will help the Southwest Airlines business that was hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 forced Southwest Airlines to cancel almost 40% of its daily flights last spring.
“Nobody knew how deep and how long the impact of COVID was going to be on the industry,” Harvey said.
Harvey said that the global pandemic is also the reason Sunday’s O’Hare launch is even possible.
With air travel plummeting, Southwest Airlines said it secured newly available gate access at the international Terminal 5.
“There’s a lot of great corporate and government business in north Chicago, and some of those travelers aren’t willing to drive down to Midway, so we want to be right around the corner, and we want to serve their airport of choice,” Harvey said.