WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn — Twenty five years ago, an airline sparked a price war when they started operations at Bradley International Airport.
Southwest Airlines started flights, mostly to their Baltimore/Washington hub, out of Windsor Locks on October 31, 1999. Twenty five years later, the airline offers nonstop flights to eight cities, with up to 13 daily departures to Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Nashville, Orlando, and Tampa, as well as seasonal service to Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers.
“For 25 years, Southwest Airlines has been a great partner at Bradley International Airport, becoming an integral part of our airline network, serving millions of passengers over the years,” said CAA Executive Director Kevin A. Dillon, A.A.E. “We appreciate Southwest’s continued commitment to our community and look forward to many more successful years.”
Ticket prices at Bradley dropped in the months that followed, a pattern that had happened at nearby T.F. Green Airport near Providence along with other airports around the country. It lead the way for other low cost carriers like Breeze, Avelo and JetBlue.
“We’re thankful for the Connecticut Airport Authority’s longstanding support of Southwest Airlines which has enabled us to grow into one of the largest airlines serving the greater Hartford region,” said Steve Sisneros, Vice President of Airport Affairs at Southwest Airlines.
Currently Southwest operates three gates and employs more than 90 people at Bradley. In 2023, the airline served more than 1.1 million passengers at the airport.
Doug Stewart is a Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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