Southwest Announces Denver Service Details

By Bloomberg, AP and Staff Reports

Southwest Airlines Co. says it will offer 13 daily nonstop flights to Chicago, Las Vegas and Phoenix when it begins serving Denver International Airport early next year.

The expanding carrier had avoided Denver’s airport for more than a decade because of high costs, but officials reconsidered because of recent cost cuts for carriers.

At DIA, it will compete against United Airlines, the primary subsidiary of holding company UAL Corp., as it emerges from bankruptcy and Denver-based Frontier Airlines, which combined have about 75 percent of DIA’s market.

The Dallas-based discount carrier said last week it planned to return to Denver, where it had served Stapleton International Airport from 1983 to 1986.