Southwest vs. Delta

When Southwest Airlines announced a couple of years ago that it would start flying to Minneapolis-St. Paul, visions of low airfares danced in our heads, what with Southwest’s low-fare image and all.

Has it worked out that way?

It depends on how you fly. For a typical business traveler or adults who want some ability to change flights, not so much. For those who like to fly on the very cheap, even if it means living a youth hostel flying life, it definitely has.

Here’s a sample of airfares for flights out of MSP on October 19, returning on Saturday October 23. In a head-to-head comparison of fares, Delta mostly tops Southwest, even if you include the number of fees. In the parenthesis are the Southwest “Wanna Get Away” fares, which is the no-frills end of the no-frills airline.

Destination Southwest Delta
Boston $918 ($307) $747.40
Chicago $312 ($292) $119.40
Orlando $754 ($410) $460.80
Las Vegas $874 ($380) $400
New York $834.00 ($383) $601.40
Los Angeles $842 ($400) $469
Pittsburgh $564 ($386) $288
Denver $576 ($215) $179.40
Dallas $828 ($376) $258

Today, Southwest announced it’s purchasing AirTran, one of its competitors in the low-cost airline business.