JetBlue Challenges Southwest at BWI

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The Boston to Baltimore route appears to be getting pretty crowded these days. Just a week after Southwest announced it would serve Baltimore as one of its first destinations from Boston, JetBlue responded that it would do the same. This could get ugly.

Starting August 16, Southwest will start five daily flights from Boston to Baltimore and another five to Chicago/Midway. This is their first service from Boston, and it mirrors their first destinations from New York/LaGuardia.

In New York, it’s widely believed that Southwest is looking to make it a destination for its existing travelers rather than becoming a “hometown” airline for New Yorkers. In Boston, however, the same capacity constraints don’t exist, and the airline already has a strong presence with Manchester in the north and Providence in the south. So is Southwest looking to really fight for the Boston traveler?

Jetblue isn’t taking any chances. The airline will start four daily flights from Boston to Baltimore in September. They already have a single daily flight to Chicago/O’Hare. So why are they doing this?

It’s clearly a shot across Southwest’s bow. JetBlue wants to claim Boston as theirs. This is the airline’s first flight to Baltimore, though they do serve Washington/Dulles from several destinations. Why would you have your first flight from Baltimore go to the far northeast corner of the country where it can’t connect to anything? Because you’re not looking at the Baltimore traveler.

JetBlue wants Boston, and they are willing to defend it, apparently at a substantial loss. This route is going to be a bloodbath. Southwest and JetBlue are joining an already crowded market. Delta flies it seven times a day and AirTran flies it nine times. This is going to be painful for all involved, but the stakes are high.

Tags: JetBlue Airways Corp., Baltimore, Boston, Southwest, Brett Snyder

In addition to writing BNET's travel industry blog, Brett Snyder also pens the award-winning consumer travel blog, Cranky Flier. You can follow him on Twitter under the name crankyflier.

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1

uvaguy

05/18/09 | Report as spam

RE: JetBlue Challenges Southwest at BWI

Cranky, you obviously don't know enough about the DC area airports, or you'd realize this represents a great new option for half of the region. Ever tried driving from Bethesda, MD to Dulles in the morning in the traffic that has been called worst in the nation? Or how about getting to DCA, without spending an hour on crowded Metrorail with your bags?

Truth is, BWI is a more passenger-friendly airport as opposed to Dulles, with cheaper & faster parking options than IAD or DCA. It's a lot closer for many regional Jetblue fans who can exploit the reverse the traffic situation as a large % of the region's population can. I used to battle that traffic into IAD just to fly with Jetblue to BOS, and this is a welcome new option. BWI also has great rail connections, meaning a lot of PA/DE travelers who'd normally go out of HORRIBLE PIA to the north might reconsider. This is a regional play for an under-served market, in other words, and not merely to annoy SWA discount Buslines.

Serving their hub at JFK would make less sense, because Amtrak is always the best option to NYC.
2

brett snyder

05/18/09 | Report as spam

RE: JetBlue Challenges Southwest at BWI

@uvaguy - Having lived in the District for four years, I know the region very well. I've wasted many hours slogging through New York Ave to get to the jammed BW Parkway on my way to BWI. I've also braved the insanely crowded MARC train out of Union Station to do the same. And yes, I've risked a ticket driving solo to Dulles on 66 during carpool-only hours as well. I certainly know the region.

If there are JetBlue fans who find BWI more convenient than Dulles, then yes, this will be a nice option for them. But Southwest and AirTran have extensive reach from BWI, so I imagine that loyalty and frequent flier points will keep people flying on those airlines for the most part. JetBlue can try to win on price, but AirTran is a lower cost producer - so that's a losing game. I firmly believe that JetBlue's success on this route lies in the Boston area and not Maryland.