The fourth-largest airline in the United States is the first to test Optym's new-generation flight scheduling optimization solution.
DALLAS – Optym is pleased to announce that Southwest Airlines has started testing SkyMAX to optimize its flight schedules. The nation’s fourth-largest airline, Southwest Airlines operates more than 3,400 flights a day serving 93 destinations across the United States and five additional countries.
Part of the Sky by Optym suite of network planning solutions for airlines, SkyMAX is a new-generation flight scheduling optimization system that maximizes an airline’s total network profitability while also satisfying all operational rules. It can build a flight schedule automatically from scratch or improve an existing schedule, and it’s the first system that optimizes flight times, fleet types, thru-flights and aircraft routings all at the same time instead of separately.
With SkyMAX in production, Southwest Airlines is now the only airline that has this advanced technology for flight schedule optimization.
A key factor in the success of the SkyMAX deployment was the partnership between the Southwest Airlines and Optym teams.
“From the very beginning, our relationship with Optym has been a partnership where we are working together to develop a new tool to enhance our unique and complex network optimization capabilities,” said Adam Decaire, Senior Director, Southwest Airlines. “They are adaptive and agile and highly committed to our projects.”
“Big achievements like these don’t happen by themselves, and are the result of lots of planning, smart ideas and focused execution,” said Renzo Vaccari, Vice President of Airline Solutions for Optym. “Working together over the last three months, we were able to test, calibrate and implement SkyMAX successfully. I want to thank everyone on the Southwest and Optym teams for making this happen. Everything is impossible until somebody does it.”
Southwest Airlines Takes Off To New Destination From Washington, D.C. (Reagan National)
Southwest Airlines also announced new nonstop service from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to Orlando, Florida beginning on Nov. 1. Orlando will be Southwest’s third Florida destination from DCA, where it is the second largest carrier as measured by passengers carried. Southwest will now offer flights to 17 nonstop destinations from this convenient downtown airport.
Southwest Airlines operates more than 260 daily nonstop flights from its three Washington, D.C. area airports. Since July of last year, the airline has added seven new international destinations from Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International airport, and new nonstop service from Washington, D.C. (Reagan National) to Chicago (Midway), Columbus, Dallas Love Field, Indianapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood beginning on August 9, and Orlando starting in November 2015. In addition, the carrier’s long-haul offerings from Washington Dulles have grown in the past year to add both Las Vegas, and San Diego as nonstop routes.
Also on Nov. 1, Southwest will continue its commitment to the Sunshine State by increasing the number of daily flights to twice daily service between Austin, Texas, and Ft. Lauderdale. “These flights will give travelers even more options than ever before to reach Florida, Washington, D.C., and Texas on full-size, 737 jets without being nickeled-and-dimed,” said Andrew Watterson, Southwest Airlines’ Senior Vice President of Network and Revenue Management. “The moment we took off nearly 44 years ago, we’ve always been a little different; we are the only U.S. airline offering two checked bags for free to everyone* along with a friendly boarding procedure. Our People work hard to deliver superior Customer Service to everyone, every day.”
In Austin, the carrier continues adding new destinations including already announced nonstop service starting June 28, 2015 to Santa Ana/Orange County and St. Louis. In addition to the increased number of flights serving Customers traveling to and from Ft. Lauderdale, the carrier will add nonstop service this November to Boston (Logan), Seattle/Tacoma, and will add an additional nonstop flight to the New York area (via Newark.) The carrier began serving Austin in 1977 with six daily flights, and by the end of 2015 it will operate more than 60 departures a day to nearly 30 destinations across the United States and Mexico.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
