‘Southwest effect’

The number of passengers at Baltimore-Washington International Airport has returned to about the same level as before the September 11 terrorist attacks, in large part because of Southwest Airlines.

The low-fare airline is not only one of the industry’s most profitable carriers, but also the biggest airline operating out of BWI, representing 40 percent of its airline traffic.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” said BWI spokesman Jonathan Dean. “In 1993, about 9 million people used BWI Airport for their travel needs. Last year, more than 19 million passengers passed through BWI. The growth of Southwest has helped to fuel this incredible demand.”

Equally encouraging for BWI are the figures since the September 11 attacks. The number of passengers using the airport has returned to roughly 2 million per month after a loss of nearly 1 million passengers in the weeks immediately following the attacks.

“Business has been very good at BWI,” Mr. Dean said. “Throughout the summer, passenger traffic has outpaced national statistics.”

Part of the new traffic resulted from international flights. Southwest Airlines played a role in this as well.

By increasing its flights and forcing BWI to expand its facilities to accommodate them, Southwest Airlines made the airport a more attractive gateway for international airline business.

“In July, international traffic at BWI jumped more than 20 percent,” Mr. Dean said. “International carriers like British Airways, IcelandAir, Air Jamaica and Ghana Airways have a strong presence here at BWI.”

While the rest of the industry sought government bailouts to stay in business after September 11, officials at the Dallas airline were concerned only that they made less money than normal.

The airline’s keep-it-simple approach is transforming the airline industry while drawing complaints from competitors about the “Southwest effect.”

In other words, all major airlines have to lower fares to compete when Southwest Airlines moves into an airport.

Southwest Airlines, which is restricted to mainly midsize cities, does not fly to Washington Dulles International or Ronald Reagan Washington National airports.

The airline started at BWI 10 years ago with eight flights, three to Cleveland and five to Chicago. Now, it offers 156 daily flights out of the airport to 35 cities.

“Southwest Airlines has also had an important economic impact on the local community,” Mr. Dean said. “The airline currently employs about 2,500 people in this region.”

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