Southwest Still Plans Midway Expansion

Southwest Airlines Co. executives say they’re committed to expansion that could soon make Midway International Airport in Chicago the carrier’s busiest, their plans unchanged by the airline’s first fatal accident there this month.

Two years of adding gates and flights already have made Midway the fastest-growing airport for Southwest, providing a strengthened base to compete with bigger rivals flying out of O’Hare International Airport across town.

Midway has surpassed Baltimore-Washington and tied Phoenix this year as Southwest’s No. 2 airport, with 196 daily departures. According to a recent Citigroup report, Midway is expected to overtake McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas to become the Dallas-based carrier’s largest airport by 2007.

Southwest spokeswoman Linda Rutherford said only that Midway “has the potential� to be its No. 1 airport by 2007, and declined to discuss specific plans for competitive reasons. But nearly two weeks after one of its jets skidded off a runway after landing in a snowstorm, killing a 6-year-old boy riding in a car, the airline remains unwavering in its commitment to Midway, she said.

The Dec. 8 accident “does not change that Chicago Midway remains a focus city for us in terms of expansion opportunities and adding more flights,� Rutherford said.

Southwest controls 29 of the 43 gates at Midway, up from 19 a year ago as a result of deals made with ATA Holdings Corp., the parent of fast-shrinking ATA Airlines.

Midway’s shorter-than-average runways and lack of buffers at the ends of landing strips have been under scrutiny since the accident.

Rutherford, though, said the airline remained confident in the safety of its Midway operations.

“Southwest has been operating for 20 years at Midway, and we have a daily dedication to safety for both customers and employees. We have a 34-year track record that proves that,� she said.

The 1-square-mile airport, located eight miles southwest of downtown Chicago, was built in 1923 and is hemmed in by dense neighborhoods. It had gone without a fatal accident since 1972.

Southwest’s customers appear to have taken the rare accident in stride. The airline analyzed bookings after the accident and concluded that there was no significant effect, Rutherford said.

Midway’s location makes Southwest’s continuing expansion a sound strategy, one analyst said.

“Midway is a gold mine for Southwest,� said Jim Brown, an independent aviation consultant. “This is seen by a lot of frequent fliers and business travelers as a low-fare alternative to O’Hare.�

O’Hare, located 15 miles to the northwest, is the world’s second-busiest airport, behind Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in both total passengers and total flights, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. But it is twice the distance from downtown Chicago.

Numerous analysts and aviation experts said they would be surprised if the accident causes Southwest to slow its Midway expansion, barring an unexpected finding from the National Transportation Safety Board investigation.

“As unfortunate as the accident is, it doesn’t materially change Southwest’s operating plans,� said Marisa Thompson of Morningstar Inc.