BRANSON, Mo., December 5, 2013 – Earlier this afternoon Southwest Airlines announced that it will cease operations at the Branson Airport (BKG) on June 7, 2014. Bob Jordan, Southwest’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer said that decisions like this are never easy and that the “level of local demand no longer allows Southwest to profitably serve” Branson and the other two locations where Southwest will cease operations in 2014, the Key West International Airport and Jackson-Evers International Airport. Southwest also said that it will operate its full schedule to Branson “and there will be no disruption to reservations for travel through June 6, 2014.”
Southwest Airlines started flying into Branson Airport in the spring of 2012. Sharon Budnick, the Director of the Branson Travel Agency, a division of the Branson Tourism Center one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services said, “Even with the loss of the announced service, air travelers to Branson will still have a great choice of convenient economical air service through both the Springfield – Branson National Airport (SGF), which has been serving Branson travelers for decades, as well as the Branson Airport. As of this date, the major carriers who will be servicing Branson as of June 7, 2014 are Allegiant, American, Delta and United through the Springfield – Branson National Airport and Frontier through the Branson Airport.
