Southwest's Happy Landing

The prospect of paying less for more air service in and out of Charleston is very good news for an area already celebrating some major business developments and hoping for more.

Tuesday's announcement by Southwest Airlines that it will begin service here within a year is great news for tourists and local residents alike.

If only it could start sooner.

That Southwest wants to come to Charleston with only the modest incentives offered by the Charleston Aviation Authority is a good indicator that the airline expects the marriage to be a profitable one in and of itself.

Ever since low-cost AirTran announced that it would pull out of Charleston in December, travelers and businesses have clamored for a low-cost carrier to replace it. Seasoned air travelers cited Southwest as a candidate because of its reputation as reliable, customer-friendly and budget-priced. Experts have promoted local and state incentives as the best way to lure an airline here.

Indeed, Charleston County Council was so eager for a low-cost airline to help bring down soaring air fares that it gave preliminary approval to a 5 percent fee on car rentals to raise money that would be used as incentives for new air service.

Meanwhile, the Legislature is considering a bill that would borrow money from its insurance reserve fund to lure low-cost carriers to the state.

It took Charleston County Aviation Authority Chairman David Jennings by surprise when Southwest announced its intention to come here without those extra county or state dollars. Business consultants have said incentives are a necessity. And Southwest begins serving Panama City, Fla., this month, after a developer agreed to cover up to $26 million of its potential losses.

Nevertheless, Southwest made a corporate decision to fly into Greenville and Charleston, while rejecting Columbia, which was offering a $15 million local incentive.

Mr. Jennings assures us that there was no "wink-wink conversation" about receiving additional incentives down the line. He said Southwest is an outstanding company which made a wise business decision.

"There is a lot of buzz in Charleston," he told us. "We made sure the airlines knew all that was going on here -- things like Boeing and cruise traffic."

The Southwest decision says a business environment that promises returns on investment is the best incentive. It's also a credit to authority officials, who have been courting Southwest for three years.

Southwest, which operates more than 3,200 flights a day in 68 cities, has not announced how many flights it will offer here and where they will go. Mr. Jennings believes there will be at least two flights a day serving two different cities.

And two pieces of luggage will fly free.

Give friendly Southwest Airlines a friendly Charleston welcome. Its success will ease the strain on local travel budgets, bolster tourism and demonstrate the growing strength of our local economy.