The company, which has long operated out of Midway Airport, expects to add service to O’Hare Airport beginning in “the first half of 2021.” NBC 5’s Lexi Sutter has the story.
Southwest Airlines is starting service out of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport for the first time ever this weekend.
Southwest will mark its first flight from O'Hare's Terminal 5 on Sunday, the airline said.
Southwest first announced plans to begin flying in and out of O'Hare in October after more than 30 years of operating in the city exclusively out of Midway International Airport.
Southwest will service five cities nonstop from O'Hare, the airline said: Baltimore/Washington, Denver, Dallas Love Field, Nashville and Phoenix.
In announcing O'Hare service, Southwest said the airline would operate 20 daily flights out of the airport and that one-way prices would begin at $39.
"We're growing the reach of Southwest as we add more destinations across the United States while bringing our warm Hospitality and iconic Customer Service to more people than ever before," Andrew Watterson, Southwest Airlines Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Vice President, said in a statement at the time.
“Chicago is one of the strongest and most competitive airport markets in the world, and we are always eager to work with our existing airlines and new entrants on enhancing the service they offer to travelers," the Chicago Department of Aviation said in a statement following the announcement. "This is a vote of confidence in our city and in O’Hare, and we’re excited to build on 35 years of partnership with Southwest Airlines.”
Local
The Chicago expansion comes as the company also announced plans to return to Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
"Southwest owes decades of success to our employees and customers who have supported our business in Chicago and Houston," Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said in a release. "Today's announcement furthers our commitment to both cities as we add service to share Southwest's value and Hospitality with more leisure and business travelers."
