Why did Southwest stop service to Key West?
 

I'm not sure why WN stopped flying to Key West but do you guys think it ever gets added back ?

Thanks

This happened quite some time ago. Unless you're in the Southwest bean counting department, I don't know if any of us will over know the exact details or when and if they'll provide service again.

What probably is the case is that Southwest has had a rather static inventory of aircraft when compared to the new markets they've entered and want to expand service to. Essentially, they could make more money with the aircraft they have in markets other than Key West. Same basic economic decision as cutting service to Jackson, MS.

Considering that it only took just over 30 mins for someone to reply that knows exactly why...

It had everything to do with the way Southwest flight ops defined a wet runway vs. the 2 other mainline operators (FL+DL) and the amount of seats that had to be blocked off constantly. City got whacked because SWA refused to adapt to an operation that was different than what they were used to doing over the last 4 decades. Nothing else, nothing more.

The short runway was just icing on the cake. Had they been able to make money there relative to other opportunities they would have found a way. Low load factors coupled with expanding opportunities at LGA and DCA doomed the Key West operation. Just as it did at Branson and Jackson.

http://keysnews.com/node/60527

Its not icing on the cake, it is the cake.

I am telling you that that is the exact reason why EYW was stopped. LF and LGA/DCA had nothing to do with it.

Airport directors know as much as the public does, so instead of listening to a bunch of BS realize that what you are hearing has come straight from the horses mouth... :)

BS walks and money talk, no profit...

Exactly right, the amount of times people were involuntarily denied boarding due to the short wet runways was insane. Was pretty much a regular occurrence on that route.

See discussion here too: Branson, Key West, and Jackson Leave the WN Network on June 7, 2014

Additional discussion here: SWA Leaving Key West (EYW)...the cognitive dissonance continues

Sorry, the short runways were a factor but certainly not the only one and certainly not the main one. Go back and read the other threads.

EYW simply wasn't profitable (and there was no room for expansion) and there bigger and better markets for them to pay attention to. Did the short runway factor into the decision? Yes. Was it the main reason? No.

Just simply too bad, flew them once there and loved it. And we did land/depart in the rain on the same runway I once flew a Cessna onto years back. Love the place.

Please start listening to what I am writing you. Especially when I write "this comes from the horses mouth.."

I am one of less than half a dozen people in this world that not only managed the original FL schedule into EYW + knew the P&L but also implemented the transition to WN metal and saw that P&L. What are your credentials other than flyertalk speculation and articles with generic quotes from people that only know what the public does?

Your statements on profitability are not accurate, neither is your speculation on allocating aircraft in this instance to other routes based on route performance.

Judging on your past posts, you like to boast a lot and argue. Perhaps I misspoke when I suggested load factor - I should have said profitability. It's really hard to make a profit when you have just three daily flights and one gate. How many current markets does WN serve with just three daily flights (CRP has a lowly four)? And of those markets, how many are seasonal like EYW?

So, since you were privy to those profit and loss numbers, how much revenue did those three daily flights bring in vs. expense?

By the way, I can't listen to what you write. I can only read what your write - and take it with a grain of salt, of course.

While you are conjuring up stories about boasting and arguing let me point out that over the course of 4 years I've posted pretty rarely + 99% of what I've posted is about setting the record straight, including in this thread. Not sure why you took it so personally, and I hope you realize that I have to decline to share exact revenue numbers on a public forum not because I love to keep secrets but because I have to.

That being said, Key West has been for quite a while a healthy market that commands a good enough premium that you can run load factors way below system average and still make healthy numbers.

And yes, you are right profits took a massive hit when the paint on the side of the 73G changed, but not because of market forces but because of operational inflexibility. Nothing more, nothing less.

I don't think we really need to go back and forth at this point, Id be glad to continue the discussion further over PM and can probably tell you a bit more info on there if you want more inside info. :)

I was always pretty sure they stopped them right after we got our CP because they knew we'd be down there weekly at half price, and they weren't making enough money there even at full price =P

But weren't Branson and Jackson MS cut at the same time (as Key West)? It couldn't have been that same reason for those two, could it have?