SWA Beefs Up Presence At Midway, NWA Increases Footprint at Indy

Hoping to step in where ATA has stumbled, two airlines -- one a legacy carrier and the other a pioneering low-cost carrier, are increasing their presence in the Midwest.

Southwest Airlines is expanding non-stop service from Chicago's Midway to 13 cities, while Northwest is adding five flights in its third expansion at Indianapolis International since July.

SWA CEO Gary Kelly said expansion at Midway is his airline's "number one priority," according to the Chicago Tribune. He said Southwest may look at buying up at least some of ATA's Midway gate leases.

Right now, SWA has 19 gates at Midway, while ATA (now operated by AirTran) has 14.

"There is pent-up demand for these markets. We're adding seats because Chicago can handle the additional capacity," said SWA spokesman Ed Stewart, quoted in the Tribune.

Northwest Moves On Indianapolis

Not to be outdone in the Midwest, Northwest Airlines Monday announced it would add five flights to its schedule at Indianapolis International Airport.

That's the third time in four months NWA has beefed up its footprint at Indy. If all goes according to Northwest's plan, the carrier should base 44 flights out of Indy by February, surpassing ATA's schedule of 39 daily flights.

Sunday, NWA added 19 flights at Indy.

FMI: www.southwest.com, www.nwa.com