Bob CollinsWhen Southwest Airlines announced a couple of years ago that it would start flying to Minneapolis-St. Paul, visions of low airfares danced in our heads, what with Southwest’s low-fare image and all.
Has it worked out that way?
It depends on how you fly. For a typical business traveler or adults who want some ability to change flights, not so much. For those who like to fly on the very cheap, even if it means living a youth hostel flying life, it definitely has.
Here’s a sample of airfares for flights out of MSP on October 19, returning on Saturday October 23. In a head-to-head comparison of fares, Delta mostly tops Southwest, even if you include the number of fees. In the parenthesis are the Southwest “Wanna Get Away” fares, which is the no-frills end of the no-frills airline.
| Destination | Southwest | Delta |
| Boston | $918 ($307) | $747.40 |
| Chicago | $312 ($292) | $119.40 |
| Orlando | $754 ($410) | $460.80 |
| Las Vegas | $874 ($380) | $400 |
| New York | $834.00 ($383) | $601.40 |
| Los Angeles | $842 ($400) | $469 |
| Pittsburgh | $564 ($386) | $288 |
| Denver | $576 ($215) | $179.40 |
| Dallas | $828 ($376) | $258 |
Today, Southwest announced it’s purchasing AirTran, one of its competitors in the low-cost airline business.
