Southwest Airlines to add flight from BWI to Costa Rica (Video)

Traveling to sunny Costa Rica from the Washington region will get a little bit easier next year, thanks to a new nonstop flight from Southwest Airlines between Baltimore-Washington International Airport and San Jose, Costa Rica.

The company is currently seeking government approval for the flight and hopes to fly its maiden voyage March 7, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said during an event Friday with the Greater Washington Board of Trade.

San Jose, Costa Rica, will be the airline’s eighth international destination, and it plans to add many more after it completes its merger with Air Tran in December. In the D.C. region, Southwest will continue to add flights from Reagan National Airport, thanks to its merger with Air Tran, bringing the number of daily flights from that airport up to 44 by the end of the year.

That will include nonstop service from National to Dallas’ Love Field airport, which will open up to flights to and from many more destinations in October, when the decades-old Wright Amendment expires. (The federal government passed the Wright amendment in 1979 to help make Dallas-Fort Worth Airport more viable.)

Southwest will also add nonstop service between BWI and Love Field, Kelly said.

The additional flights will make Southwest the second-largest carrier out of National, after US Airways. It will also make it the largest airline in the Washington region.

That presence here could mean more targeted local advertising campaigns and marketing efforts, Kelly said.

“This metro area is large enough for us now that it will provide an opportunity for us to customize our message,” said Kelly. “There’s a lot of fun things we’re going to be considering.” Southwest is already a sponsor of the Baltimore Orioles and Ravens — something else it picked up from Air Tran — and Kelly hinted at the possibility of other sports tie-ins in the D.C. area in the future.

“We haven’t grown organically in about five years. It’s been a difficult decade,” Kelly said. “But 2015 will be a true growth year. We’ll be adding seats, adding airplanes and hiring more people.”

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