Sunday, March 8, marked the formal entry of the Dallas-based Southwest Airlines into the Twin Cities market - with the airline to operate eight roundtrip flights daily between Minneapolis and Midway airport, Chicago; and connect to nearly 50 cities from there.

The launch was a long-awaited one, especially by those who have flown Southwest in other parts of the country!

Largely considered a "no-frills" airline, Southwest Airlines essentially has no first-class sections or assigned seats. The swift and egalitarian carrier works in a unique way, whereby boarding cards issued to the passengers at the gate determine the order by which the passengers board the plane.

Southwest is well-known for both "sticking to the clock" as well as quick turnarounds between flights. Though the Chicago storms played havoc on the opening day, resulting in flight delays, Southwest's take off from the Twin Cities was largely considered a welcome move, particularly as the flights to the Windy City had become fairly pricey after AirTran stopped its flights last year.

The "unbelievably low" fares of Southwest have set the competition rolling for the currently flying Northwest, American and United airlines.

In addition to the fares, the local Northwest carrier is also planning more measures to retain its loyal customers - it intends emphasizing its frequent flier programs, business-class service and its direct flights to other places from the Twin Cities!