Move over Alaska Airlines. You’re not the only airline looking to make the jump across the pond to Europe.
In an article from Reuters, Southwest Airlines just filed for a permit with the U.S Department of Transport. They are asking for permission to conduct flight operations in Open Sky Agreement countries. Countries found in Africa, Asia, Europe & Latin America.
Southwest simply stated that they are taking advantage of the U.S Department of Transport’s newly lax procedures in getting permission to conduct international business. They said the filing is “not necessarily indicative of anything forthcoming”.
So the answer is no. Southwest will not be offering flights to Europe or beyond any time soon. But once upon a time, JetBlue Airways deviated from their core strategy to begin offering flights over the Atlantic. Could Southwest repeat this?
Market Conditions Is Causing Southwest to Pivot On Their Core Business Model
It goes without saying that Southwest is feeling the burden of the current market conditions. Southwest’s core ideal customer are domestic leisure travelers. With the U.S economy not performing well, people are not financially stable enough for leisurely travel. Which is not great for Southwest.
On top of that, the airline last year announced a total 180 degree turn on their traditional norms. They are soon implementing assigned seating. Southwest will be offering preferred seating as well as a premium economy seating arrangement with more legroom.
All have added to squeeze more revenue out per passenger.
These facts alone prove that all business models need to adapt as market conditions ebb and flow.
Offering flights across the Atlantic won’t solve any financial woes the airline is going through immediately.
But if passengers still continue to fly with Southwest despite these forthcoming changes, why shouldn’t the airline set their sights on Europe especially when competing airlines like JetBlue and Alaska either already have or are planning to soon.
But Europe Won’t Be a Good Market for Southwest
Let’s get real though. Southwest Airlines won’t find any success in Europe. They would need to completely abandon their point to point system.
They would need to establish an East Coast international departure airport. Could that be Baltimore? Is Boston-Logan a good fit?
Where will they fly to in Europe? Should they challenge JetBlue directly in places like Edinburgh or Amsterdam?
With these questions, tremendous thoughts on the behalf of Southwest executives need to happen.
Southwest Airlines made a great move a few months back partnering with Icelandair. Passengers can use Southwest’s Baltimore bound flights to connect to Iceland with Icelandair. While Southwest doesn’t have a core international product, they are not ignoring their international market demand.
Could this Icelandair experiment serve as a test bed for international flights for Southwest? Only time will tell.
