mgm531

Why is Southwest Airlines not in Atlanta?

blondestar

Because they just dont fly in and out of there. They have other hubs but not in atlanta.

carolinaguy611

In general, Southwest's business plan is such that they don't like confronting legacy airlines head-to-head at their fortress hubs (like Atlanta is for Delta) and it's only been recently that that's changed, when Southwest began serving Philadelphia. Also, part of Southwest's business plan is reliant upon on-time service and quick turnarounds - considering Atlanta is one the busiest airport in the world (and one of the most congested) that's not easy to accomplish.

jimmy

ahhhhh maybe thats why it's named SOUTHWEST AIRLINES? YA THINK?

MG5361

Other major airlines have hubs in Atlanta. Delta is huge here. Probably a direct competitor to Southwest already has a large number of flights. AirTran?

dcgirl

CarolinaGuy's answer is spot on. I'd just like to add that gate space in cities like Atlanta is very expensive when you compare it to some of the smaller airports. Southwest (and Jetblue too, and some of the other smaller airlines) keeps operating costs low by getting gate space at some of the smaller airports and not always at the bigger airports. That's why you see airlines like this at Long Beach or Burbank but not LAX, or at BWI but not Washington National.

potatochip5301

Air Tran, another low-cost carrier has a huge hub there. Also Delta is headquartered there. If Southwest served that city, it would have to offer flights to a lot of cities otherwise Delta and Air Tran would just match Southwest's fares to drive that airline out of the city. If Delta and Air Tran matched Southwest's fares, people would choose those carriers since most of the people who fly out of Atlanta have a frequent flyer membership with either Delta or Air Tran.

catdognewt

Currently Southwest Airlines does not fly to Atlanta because of there buisness plan. How ever, I would expect to see Southwest at Atlanta within 5 years. Unlike Jetblue and Skybus, Southwest is changing it's buisness approach.An early answerer pointed out that southwest uses Burbank insted of LAX, not true, Southwest uses 4 airports within the LA area. These are Ontario, Orange County, Burbank and yes even LAX. In the District of Columbia are southwest uses Baltimore(BWI) and the much larger Dulles International Airport. Southwest uses Midway International Airport(MDW) insted of O' Hare(ORD). This is an example of their older philosphy however it works. In the end you are sure to see more service in Atlanta. Southwest is extending it's service to larger cities. Atlanta will be there soon.