The nation's largest low-fare carrier plans to eliminate four daily flights to Pittsburgh; four to Manchester, N.H.; four to Providence, R.I.; and one to Jacksonville, Fla. from Philadelphia.
Only US Airways, Philadelphia's dominant carrier, will fly to those cities. If history holds true, passengers can expect fares, now as low as $59 one-way to Pittsburgh, to creep higher.
Southwest now has 55 daily nonstop departures to 18 cities from Philadelphia. Come January, four of those cities will disappear.
US Airways operates 440 daily flights here, including nine a day to Pittsburgh, 16 to Boston, eight to both Providence and Manchester, and three to Jacksonville.
"We still have some pretty substantial service left" to those cities, said Mark Gale, chief executive officer of Philadelphia International Airport. "But we all know that competition on routes typically yields the best opportunity for the consumer, not only the best fares but also a choice in product offering."
The airport wants Southwest to continue to grow in Philadelphia. "They provide competition on some of our most popular routes," Gale said.
Airport executives are talking to other airlines, including Delta, Continental, United, American, and JetBlue, about the possibility of flying to the cities Southwest is leaving.
In January, Southwest will also trim its Philadelphia-Boston flights from eight a day to six, and then to five in February.
Southwest - which recently acquired smaller AirTran Airways - is dropping routes that don't make money. And in Philadelphia, US Airways has proven to be a tough competitor, with fares that often beat Southwest ticket prices.
