By Terry Maxon
Courtesy of The Dallas Morning News
Southwest Airlines Co. announced Thursday that it will start service in April to San Juan, Puerto Rico — the carrier’s first destination beyond the lower 48 U.S. states.
Southwest said that beginning April 14, it will have three daily round trips between San Juan and Orlando, Fla., and one daily round trip between San Juan and Tampa, Fla.
In doing so, it’ll replace flying now operated by its subsidiary, AirTran Airways, said Bob Jordan, AirTran president and Southwest executive vice president and chief commercial officer.
“AirTran has done a wonderful job establishing a presence in this market, and Southwest is proud to continue that legacy and extend our vast network of destinations, exceptional customer service, and convenient low fares to the San Juan community,” he said.
Customers who booked Tampa-San Juan or Orlando-San Juan flights on AirTran for April 14 and beyond will be contacted and rebooked on the Southwest flights, the company said.
Southwest said AirTran, which launched San Juan service in 2008, would keep flying from San Juan to Baltimore, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Atlanta.
“Southwest soon will determine the best time to convert the remaining AirTran flying to Southwest as part of the ongoing integration to eventually become one airline flying under the Southwest brand,” the carrier said.
Southwest officials said Oct. 18 that the airline had converted nine of AirTran’s 52 Boeing 737-700s to Southwest airplanes. Sixteen airports served by AirTran have been transferred to Southwest operations.
Southwest has announced its intention to fly to a number of over-water destinations such as Hawaii and non-U.S. airports. It is working on a reservations computer upgrade that would give it the ability to make international bookings.
