GREER, S.C.—Southwest Airlines will celebrate 10 years of delivering low fares and nonstop flights to Upstate South Carolina on Friday, March 12, 2021. Celebratory digital billboard displays have been placed on major roadways across the region and all passengers traveling Southwest on March 12 will receive gift bags courtesy of Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP).
After a 15-year courtship and a community-wide effort to lure Southwest to GSP, the airline launched low-fare service on Sunday, March 12, 2011 with its inaugural flight to Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI).
Thanks to new passenger traffic stimulated by the “Southwest Effect,” GSP reported an unprecedented 38% growth in passenger activity between 2010 and 2011 and was recognized as the fastest-growing small airport in the United States by Airline and Airport News & Analysis. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported that average fares from GSP decreased by 14%, the largest decrease in the country. Since Southwest’s arrival at GSP, passenger traffic has doubled from 1,301,744 in 2011 to 2,612,236 in 2019. Southwest currently offers daily nonstop flights to Atlanta, GA (ATL), Baltimore, MD (BWI) and Houston, TX (HOU).
“In 2011, we said that the arrival of Southwest Airlines to our region was a game changer. Ten years later, we see that prediction has proved correct and that air service access and potential for GSP continues to improve,” said Dave Edwards, President and CEO of the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District. “We are pleased to celebrate this milestone with Southwest Airlines, and we look forward to continued growth in the years to come.”
About Airports Council International
In its 50th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. continues to differentiate itself from other air carriers with exemplary customer service delivered by more than 56,000 employees to a customer base that topped 130 million passengers in 2019. Southwest has a robust network of point-to-point service with a strong presence across top leisure and business markets. In peak travel seasons during 2019, Southwest operated more than 4,000 weekday departures among a network of 101 destinations in the United States and 10 additional countries. Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online at Southwest.com or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA.
About Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) is served by six major airlines offering convenient daily flights to destinations across the U.S. In 2020, GSP was recognized as the Best Airport in North America in the 2-5 million passenger category by is customers and Airports Council International. The airport is also a hub for air cargo, including flights regularly flown to and from Europe and points across the United States. Learn more at gspairport.com.
2022 Charlotte Douglas International Airport Report of Achievement
Giving back to the community is central to what Charlotte Douglas International Airport and its operator, the City of Charlotte Aviation Department, is about, and last year was no different.
Throughout 2022, while recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, we continued our efforts to have a positive impact on the Charlotte community. Of particular note, we spent the year sharing stories of how Connections Don't Just Happen at the Terminal - from creating homeownership and employment opportunities to supporting economic growth through small-business development and offering outreach programs to help residents understand the Airport better.
This whitepaper highlights the construction projects, initiatives, programs and events that validate Charlotte Douglas as a premier airport.
Download the whitepaper: 2022 Charlotte Douglas International Airport Report of Achievement.