MIAMI – Yesterday, the no-frills Southwest Airlines (WN) first Boeing 737 aircraft touched down in Santa Barbara, carrying the inaugural load of passengers from Las Vegas. Airways had the opportunity to be at the celebration and on board the inaugural one-hour and 15-min flight to Santa Barbara. With the new route, WN is poised to become the dominant carrier in the local market almost immediately after touching down at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA). Pre Flight The terminals at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS) were pretty busy; we arrived at the airport in the midst of the early morning rush. When we got to gate B19 at terminal 1, there wasn’t much activity until 30 minutes before boarding time. WN Gate agents, managers, supervisors and public relations showed up at the gate with snacks, cups and poster boards for the flight.