BajaNomad - Southwest Airlines Enters Agreement With Mexico's Volaris

Southwest Airlines Enters Agreement With Mexico's Volaris

bajabound2005 - 11-10-2008 at 10:48 AM

Southwest Airlines Enters Agreement With Mexico's Volaris

November 10, 2008: 11:39 AM EST

Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) has entered an agreement with Mexican airline Volaris to provide service to Mexico by 2010, its second foray into international airspace, as it looks to expand its network of flights into the more-profitable routes outside the U.S.

Volaris, founded in 2006, currently serves 39 routes in 23 cities throughout Mexico. It has the youngest fleet in Mexico, with an average plane age of just over two years.

Under the deal, each carrier will be able to take customers and baggage to their final destination across the border.

Customers will also be able to use Southwest's Web site to book existing Volaris flights starting in 2009, before the codeshare agreement goes into effect.

Earlier this year, Southwest entered international airways for the first time with a partnership with Canadian low-cost flier WestJet Airlines Ltd. (WJA.T).

Southwest has been expanding its destinations within the U.S. even as it tries to cut capacity, challenging legacy carriers by implementing new flights at low costs in their hubs. It recently announced plans to enter the Minneapolis market, the hub of Northwest, now part of Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL).

Southwest is trying to differentiate itself from its competitors by not adding unpopular fees, such as checked-bag charges. Most other carriers are adding revenue by charging fees for services once considered part of the ticket price. Southwest plans to add revenue by slowly increasing ticket prices.

BajaGringo - 11-10-2008 at 10:51 AM

If you look at the routes involved this is a win-win. Carlos Slim is just too shrewd...

CaboRon - 11-10-2008 at 11:46 AM

Welcome News !!

CaboRon

rhintransit - 11-10-2008 at 11:52 AM

probably good news. now just WHERE does Volaris fly?

this just in from the SWA employee website:

Southwest to Offer Codeshare Service to Mexico through Volaris
Southwest Airlines is pleased to announce our intention to begin a codeshare with a Mexico-based carrier, Volaris. We have completed the first step in creating a relationship that will eventually allow our Customers a seamless travel experience with low fares and a great Customer experience between their destinations in the two countries. We plan to announce codeshare flight schedules and additional features regarding the partnership by early 2010. Certain details of the codeshare are subject to approvals by both the U.S. and Mexican governments.

Volaris is a high-efficiency Mexican airline aimed at offering Customers a unique travel experience. They are known for competitive pricing and an end-to-end operations model that has earned the airline the reputation for being Mexico’s most ontime carrier. With an Airbus A320 and 18 A319 aircraft, Volaris has the youngest and most modern fleet in Mexico, serving 39 routes in 23 cities throughout Mexico. Volaris started operations in March 2006 and plans to begin flying to the U.S. sometime in 2009. More than 1,500 Employees make up the Volaris Family and bring to life the airline’s commitment to good service.

“We are continuing to look for ways to expand our network through international codeshare partnerships, and we are excited to team up with Volaris to offer our Customers access to attractive Mexican destinations,” said Executive Vice President Strategy & Planning Bob Jordan. We are not ready to announce routes, schedules, or fares at this point, but the agreement will eventually allow each carrier to check both Customers and baggage to a Passenger’s final destination. The codeshare is intended to provide convenient, viable connecting schedules. In addition, southwest.com will become a distribution channel for Volaris’ existing Mexican and future transborder flights in the Spring of 2009, providing Customers the opportunity to purchase flights on Volaris’ existing flights via southwest.com (this option will be available for existing Volaris flights before actual connecting codeshare flights are available for purchase). Other areas of possible cooperation include frequent flier options, ground handling, and Cargo.

Hook - 11-10-2008 at 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by rhintransit
probably good news. now just WHERE does Volaris fly?

I've always found the airline's website a good place to start.

http://www.volaris.com.mx/DestinosUS.aspx

bajabound2005 - 11-10-2008 at 06:36 PM

see! good things DO happen to good people!

Udo - 11-10-2008 at 07:24 PM

My wife just got home and told me the great news of the codeshare with Volaris!
She works for Southwest and we get to fly for free :biggrin:

fishingmako - 11-11-2008 at 10:57 PM

Dude, how lucky can you be? I guess some of us got it made, that is great to be able to fly for free, can I be a family member.

schwlind - 11-12-2008 at 12:21 AM

I sure hope non-rev travel is better on Southwest and their code share partners than most of the other carriers. My husband is a pilot for a "legacy" carrier (are there really any more of those?) and I spent a year of my life (figuratively) in Philly trying to get back home to FL non-reving... Never again! Now I either buy a ticket or use FF miles... It certainly isn't the perk it used to be many moons ago on many carriers.

gnukid - 11-12-2008 at 12:27 AM

The flights begin 2010... Lots can change, like Delta and so many others who planned to fly it hasn't paned out-Do you see Mexico-US travel increasing over the next two years? It has gone down from 2001-2008? Though intra-Mexico travel has increased.

Hook - 11-12-2008 at 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by schwlind
I sure hope non-rev travel is better on Southwest and their code share partners than most of the other carriers. My husband is a pilot for a "legacy" carrier (are there really any more of those?) and I spent a year of my life (figuratively) in Philly trying to get back home to FL non-reving... Never again! Now I either buy a ticket or use FF miles... It certainly isn't the perk it used to be many moons ago on many carriers.

AMEN, to that. I have a few friends who retired with free flying "benefits". With the way they upgrade persons to first class and the way they are always flying full, they ended up spending so much time waiting in airports that they have actually started paying for flights again. Used to be you could always get an empty seat in FC; no more.

So much for THAT perk in retirement................

shari - 11-12-2008 at 07:55 AM

I love Volaris...excellent service, on time, no hassle AND free drinks!!!!! With the price of bus travel being so expensive these days...lots and lots of mexicanos are flying Volaris for about the same price.

karenintx - 11-12-2008 at 08:16 AM

There is a learning curve when "non-reving". We just returning from a two week vacation in Buenos Aires. As Hook remarked on "all the upgrades makes it hard to get F/C"...fortunately on the European, South American and other super long hauls our airlines does not "just upgrade" so we were able to get F/C both ways. Since we are able to get into the employee travel website and see the loads we know what is available so we did adjust our travel by leaving BA one day early so we could get F/C.

I can honestly say in my 20 years of flying stand-by I can count on one hand how many time I have been left at the gate but then I do not non-rev at peaks times, days or holidays. Non-rev travel is like a game...got to learn the in's & out's but the reward is worth it!