Senior travel could be the first rebound in Colorado Springs after a year of COVID-19 restrictions that hammered tourism in the Pikes Peak area and nationally, tourism industry officials said.
Southwest Airlines will begin servicing Colorado Springs on Thursday, March 5, 2021.
Southwest Airlines hopes to eventually use every available gate at the Colorado Springs Airport if travelers continue to support its service, the low-fare giant s top Colorado executive says.
The Dallas-based airline launches nonstop service Thursday between Colorado Springs and five of its largest hubs, the latest in a series of Southwest expansions designed to put idle employees and aircraft to work. Colorado Springs and Savannah, Ga., will be the 110th and 111th destinations in the Southwest network (both start service Thursday). The arrival has been nearly 20 years in the making, culminating a lengthy courtship that included a major effort in 2005, just before the carrier returned to Denver after a nearly 20-year absence.
Like a spurned suitor, Colorado Springs officials tried in vain for more than 20 years to woo much-coveted Southwest Airlines and its discount airfares to the city.
But after years of rejection and disappointment, everything changed for Colorado Springs in just a matter of a few weeks. Now, Southwest is poised to launch service in March from the Colorado Springs Airport.
As unlikely as it might seem, air travelers looking forward to Southwestâs discount fares can thank the COVID-19 pandemic, in part, for opening the door to the carrierâs decision to consider Colorado Springs. Then, signs of growth around the Springsâ airport and an array of new city amenities and public improvements helped dazzle Southwest officials, who also were given a promise of $2.5 million in public and private incentives to help seal the deal.
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