Southwest Airlines trumped Jackson to move full steam into Memphis

After dropping Jackson, Southwest adds service to Memphis, Pensacola and Richmond

Southwest Airlines is leaving Jackson but still giving Mississippians flight options by adding service to Memphis.

However, in adding Southwest flights to Memphis the airline is eliminating AirTran service from Memphis to Atlanta. Southwest won’t be an option for getting to Atlanta, either, because its Memphis flights will not include Atlanta. Southwest acquired AirTran a couple of years ago and is just now merging the services and has been phasing out AirTran a few cities at a time.

Southwest said two weeks ago that passenger counts in flights to and from Jackson forced it to announce an end to service to Mississippi’s capital city. Though it said it would be eliminating service to AirTran destinations such as Branson, Mo., and Key West, Fla, Jackson was the lone Southwest destination targeted for service elimination.

MBJ Blog
2/4/14