Southwest Airlines will soon be flying into Branson Airport.*
BRANSON, Mo. “The announcement late last week that Southwest Airlines, and its wholly owned subsidiary AirTran Airways, has included the Branson Airport (BKG) in its intended conversion of 22 domestic and international airports currently served by AirTran Airways into Southwest operations is great news for Branson air travelers,” said Sharon Budnick, the Director of the Branson Travel Agency, a division of Branson Tourism Center, one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services. Although no specific timetable for the change was announced, Budnick explains that the announcement means that the AirTran service to Branson should continue during the transition which, when completed,will provide air travelers to and from Branson convenient and economical access to and from many more destinations than is currently available.
Southwest Airlines Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer and AirTran Airways President Bob Jordan said, “We are excited about the cities we have chosen to keep in our combined network. We are committed to continuing to serve these communities—at first via AirTran, and eventually as Southwest.”
The transition from AirTran to Southwest will be over a period of time with the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) becoming the first as of Aug. 12, 2012. The transition for the other 21 named airports, including Branson, will be “overtime” with no specific date being named.
Jeff Bourk, Branson Airport Manager in saying how pleased he was with the Southwest decision mentioned that Southwest’s network of destinations is much bigger than AirTran’s. He also pointed out that AirTran’s flights to Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Houston and Orlando will continue and that it’s too early to comment on what if any additional cities will be added as Southwest completes the transition at the airport.
Budnick said that in addition to the AirTran flights through Branson Airport that Frontier Airlines operates a number of flights to Branson. That combination makes it possible to fly directly into Branson, with just one stop, from the majority of major cities throughout the country. She also points out that American, United, Delta and Allegiant Airlines offer a wide choice of air service to Branson through the Springfield-Branson National Airport.
For additional information about air travel to Branson and the most efficient and cost saving way to do so, as well as information on Branson shows, attractions, lodging, shopping and other activities, please feel free to contact Budnick and the Branson Travel Agency either by phone at 1-800-785-2176 or through their website www.BransonTravelAgency.com.
Photo courtesy of PRN
