GRAND RAPIDS, Mich- Southwest Airlines’ inaugural flight to the Gerald R Ford Airport in Grand Rapids is set to arrive Sunday morning, the start of a highly anticipated new service to the airport.
The low-cost, Dallas-based carrier will offer daily, nonstop flights to four destinations. Southwest will fly three times daily to Baltimore, and once daily to Denver, St. Louis and Orlando.
Southwest’s arrival to the airport will change the game for Gerald R. Ford International Airport. Officials there say the airline’s cheaper fares will help bring down all ticket prices.
The new service will mean the end of AirTran Airways service at the Ford Airport. AirTran is a subsidiary of Southwest Airlines.
Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways serve a combined 97 destinations in 41 American states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and six neighboring international countries such as Mexico and Bermuda. The new air service coming to Ford International will strengthen West Michigan’s connection to three of Southwest Airlines’ Top Ten busiest hubs. Baltimore, Denver, and St. Louis rank as the airlines’ 3rd, 5th, and 10th most active airports respectively based on number of daily departures.
