Southwest to Expand East Coast Service

Southwest Airlines Co. said it will begin flying to Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina in June as part of the low-cost carrier’s plan to expand service on the East Coast. The Dallas-based airline will offer 12 daily nonstop flights starting June 6 to Baltimore, Chicago’s Midway Airport, Nashville and Tampa and Orlando, Fla. The move pits Southwest against Midway Airlines Corp., the No. 1 carrier at the Raleigh-Durham airport and a marketing partner of AMR Corp.’s American Airlines. Southwest is offering a $130 round-trip unrestricted fare between Raleigh-Durham and Baltimore, compared with fares of about $600 that other airlines offer. Southwest’s lowest fare between the two cities is $78. The East Coast now accounts for about 20% of Southwest’s flights. Southwest shares fell 69 cents to close at $30.31 on the NYSE.