Earlier this week JetBlue announced it would be leaving Long Beach (LGB) this autumn. The departure presents an opportunity for many carries, but especially for Southwest Airlines.
Southwest Airlines Growth Potential in Long Beach
Southwest Airlines launched service to Long Beach in June 2016 with service to Oakland. Over the last four years, it has grown to offer service to:
- Austin (AUS) – begins in November 2020
- Denver (DEN)
- Las Vegas (LAS)
- Oakland (OAK)
- Phoenix (PHX) – begins in November 2020
- Sacramento (SMF)
- San Jose (SJC)
JetBlue’s announced departure this October will open up many slots at the small facility serving a metropolis of millions of people, many of whom find the ease and tranquilly of Long Beach a preferred alternative to the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles International (LAX).
Southwest’s increasing fortunes at Long Beach came directly at JetBlue’s expense. Southwest’s pressure on the Oakland route forced JetBlue out…it abandoned the route earlier this year. Then JetBlue announced it would stop service to Sacramento and San Jose and limit service to Las Vegas. But with the pandemic further disrupting strategy, now JetBlue will be pulling out completely and focus exclusively on LAX. The causal link between Southwest’s ascent and JetBlue’s demise in Long Beach is hard to deny.
In May, even in the midst of COVID-19, Southwest announced it would add service to Austin and Phoenix beginning this November.
American, Delta, and Hawaiian are the other remaining carriers, offering limited flight options (American only to Phoenix, Delta to Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, and Hawaiian to Honolulu). If Southwest expands its Hawaiian operation to Long Beach, it will challenge all three incumbent carriers. Might we also see service to more Southwest cities in Texas and perhaps even further east?
That will depend upon how the pandemic develops in the months ahead, but if flight activity begins to rebound, it would not surprise me to see Southwest at least test the waters.
In one sense, Long Beach is perfect for Southwest. Long Beach has strict nighttime curfrews, but Southwest does not operate redeye flights.
CONCLUSION
JetBlue’s pain may be Southwest’s gain. There is great potential for Southwest Airlines in Long Beach and I predict we will see the carrier beef up service even more as it continues to build dominance in LGB.
> Read More: JetBlue Will Build Sizable LAX Base, Abandon Long Beach
image: Long Beach Airport
You’re wasting your breath. The local anti-airport residents will push any airline out of here eventually. Doesn’t matter if the airline promises not to fly at night. They’ll find some other excuse to make the airline move on – especially now that they’ve had some success bullying an airline, they will just be emboldened. They just don’t want the airport there. (Of course, the airport was already there when they moved in to their current residence, and they knew about it, moved there anyway…but never mind that…). Good luck.
I agree… Southwest (and other airlines) will grab those slots. LGB will be perfect for WN growth. I expect Delta to grow LGB too. I wish AA would add flights back to DFW (for years AA had DFW, ORD, and JFK… JetBlue beat them at that time… but they would do well to return flying to DFW and the LGB population who used JetBlue would switch to AA for eastbound flights). Long Beach will survive and thrive post COVID and post JetBlue. I for one, as a Long Beach frequent flier, will go out of my way to NOT use JetBlue from LAX. Why deal with that hassle? LGB is pleasant, well run, and actually a place I look forward to spending time. It’s easy in/out, and feels like a private terminal.
In 2017, JetBlue wanted to increase international flights from Long Beach – and the local authorities basically told them to go pound sand. They’ve also been in disputes over fines concerning late landings (JetBlue would insist they were weather related and, therefore, exempt from the fines while Log Beach would say “we don’t care”). The writing has been on the wall for quite some time. Southwest didn’t chase JetBlue out of Long Beach. Long Beach did it.
I would love to see some midwest routes so I won’t have to rely on LAX.