Southwest Airlines to start flying out of CVG in June

HEBRON, Ky. (WKRC) - Southwest Airlines will start flying out of CVG in June. The airport has been trying to lure the airline away from Dayton for years. On June 4th, Southwest will fly to Chicago Midway five times per day and Baltimore Washington three times per day. Olga Piehler landed from Orlando with her family Wednesday afternoon and found out about Southwest's plan. "We were very excited," Piehler said. Piehler travels a lot for work and likes to take her family on vacations. "Then when we take the kiddos, we're a family of four, things shot up really quickly so we were really excited." But it's not clear whether fares at CVG will go down with Southwest's arrival. “It really is a very good opportunity for us here. Another carrier, more opportunities, keeps the prices stable,” said aviation expert Tom Edwards. Edwards said Southwest had to see a financial benefit to move operations from Dayton to CVG but he doesn't believe prices here will drop significantly. A Southwest spokesperson wouldn't discuss fare prices but pointed to the so-called “Southwest Effect.” The Dept. of Transportation coined the phrase after some airports where Southwest started to operate showed a spike in air travel and a drop in fare prices. People who regularly fly out of CVG said they’ll try out the airline. "Southwest offers cheaper flights and it's still a good service so I think it will be great to have Southwest flying out of here,” said Omega Finney. CVG CEO Candance McGraw said Wednesday there are untapped passengers in the Greater Cincinnati area and that Southwest will likely attract some of them.