Southwest Air Sets Flight Schedule at 2019 Level by Year-End
- Carrier wagers on return of business, holiday travelers
- Demand ‘still has a long way to go,’ commercial chief says
A Southwest aircraft flies into San Diego International Airport in California.
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Southwest Airlines Co. expects to fly about the same capacity in late 2020 as it did a year earlier, projecting that business and holiday travel will return as the economy recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.
“We see demand slowly improving. It still has a long way to go,” said Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Watterson. “November-December is the end of a ramp that started in May and continues throughout the year.” He cautioned that the comparative level for 2019 was depressed by the global grounding of Boeing Co.’s 737 Max, which Southwest expects to get back in the air before the year is over.