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Southwest Airlines is Coming to Rochester

Carly Morgan/Carlete Cleare
/
WXXI News

No more driving to Buffalo to fly Southwest Airlines. Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks announced that Southwest is officially coming to Rochester in April. 

The airline carrier is taking over the AirTran Airways operation at the Greater Rochester International Airport. Rochester is one of four cities across the country to soon have Southwest flights. County Executive Maggie Brooks says the news is good for both regular and business passengers.

"We're confident that southwest will continue to grow and expand here," Brooks said to the media this afternoon.  "I think there's a lot more to come. They'll be announcing schedules, people are going to see the AirTran brand disappear and the Southwest brand appear next April. People are going to be reminded of the full commitment on the part of Southwest to be a part of this community."

Brooks says about 6-percent of Rochester residents currently travel out of Buffalo for the cheaper flights. She says many local travelers are hoping for more western destinations - such as Chicago and Denver. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter has also been a long-time proponent of affordable air travel and bringing Southwest to Rochester. Southwest says it'll begin service in and out of the Rochester airport on April 14th. Schedules for the new cities will be released on Monday.