Southwest joins ATA to offer code-share flight to Denver

Thursday, May 19, 2005 | 10:36 a.m.

Southwest Airlines customers who have been waiting for the airline to offer service to Denver now have it -- sort of.

The Dallas-based low-cost airline, the busiest commercial passenger carrier at McCarran International Airport, is now offering a code-share flight to Denver International Airport with its ATA Airlines partner.

Indianapolis-based ATA announced a new series of code-share city pair flights this week, including the Denver route as well as round trips to Boston, New York's LaGuardia Airport and Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Under code-share operations, customers purchase tickets from either airline partner and fly one leg of a flight on one airline and change planes to the other airline for the completion of the trip. Luggage also is transferred between airlines.

Southwest and ATA have announced one-stop change-of-planes service through Chicago's Midway Airport and Phoenix.

Many Southwest customers have lamented the airline's lack of service into the state of Colorado. The company has said that it doesn't serve Denver International Airport because of the high cost of operations there.

The price of a round-trip ticket between Las Vegas and Denver ranges from $160 plus tax on America West Airlines to $436 plus tax on several carriers. The code-share flight on Southwest and ATA is offered as low as $178 plus tax, according to the ATA Internet site.

Airlines that compete on the route with nonstop flights include America West, United Airlines' Ted discount carrier and Denver-based Frontier Airlines. Several airlines offer one-stop alternatives.