After a long wait, Southwest delivers Valentine’s Day love to Sarasota Bradenton airport
Southwest Airlines launched service at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport on Sunday with an arriving flight from Baltimore-Washington International Airport.
Sunday also saw the start of Southwest’s service between SRQ and Nashville, Houston Hobby and Chicago Midway, and the end of the long-standing local frustration about not having one of the most requested airlines.
Year after year, there was one inevitable question that Rick Piccolo, CEO and president of SRQ, faced from audiences when he was a speaker: when is SRQ getting Southwest?
Those were also the days when there were only about a dozen destinations available at SRQ. Now there are 44, and Piccolo says that there could be as many as 50 by the summer.
“The community gets the service level they deserve and residents don’t have to drive to other facilities to get the service they deserve. I am proud of our staff and the work they have done,” Piccolo said.
The first Southwest flight was greeted by water cannons shooting crossing blasts of water over the airliner. Some of the ground crew unloading airliners paused to take photos of the aircraft on their cell phones.
Making the day even sweeter, a Southwest Airlines associate handed out Valentine’s Day chocolate, perfect for a company whose stock trading symbol is “LUV.”
As passengers deplaned at SRQ, officials met them at the gate handing out goody bags provided by the airport and local visitor bureaus.
Steve Goldberg, senior vice president of operations and hospitality for Southwest Airlines, was on hand Sunday, too.
Sarasota Bradenton International is the 10th Florida airport served by Southwest Airlines, Goldberg said.
“We are excited to be here in Sarasota Bradenon. It’s been a tremendous partnership. We are excited about today, but we are also excited about the future,” Goldberg said.
Southwest plans seasonal service to Columbus, Ohio, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh, starting on March 13.
Most recently, Southwest announced it will be adding year-round daily nonstop service between Sarasota Bradenton International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, starting March 11.
Southwest Airlines began serving Florida 25 years ago.
