Accordingly, Southwest created point-to-point flights to make short-haul travel even quicker and used secondary airports which cut an additional 15-25 per cent off average flight time (the result of reduced taxi time, fewer gate holds and less stacking in the air to land).
To understand the rest of the Southwest formula, consider the flip side: why do some people choose the car over the aircraft for short journeys? Because it is cheap and you can leave when you choose.
Hence, Southwest's innovation of frequent flights throughout the day and tickets priced not against other airlines but dramatically lower against surface transport.
By focusing on the key discriminating factors of both flying and driving, and eliminating or reducing everything else, Southwest has inserted itself creatively between airlines and surface transport, thereby creating a new and highly profitable market.
…
