N939WN arrives from Dallas as Southwest 8375, the first ferry flight to LGA. (Photo by Matt Molnar)
The gates are ready. The staff are ready. All we need now are some planes. Those will be here soon: We are now only hours away from Southwest Airlines’ highly anticipated entrance into the New York City market.
Service to Baltimore (BWI) and Chicago Midway (MDW) will begin Sunday morning, but the first two Southwest aircraft are expected to arrive at LaGuardia Airport this afternoon, sometime around 3pm. 25 lucky contest winners will be flying up from BWI on the maiden flight thanks to a promotion the airline announced via Twitter.
Thanks to the closure of runway 13/31 scheduled to last all day Saturday, along with favorable forecast winds, there is a good chance you will be able to see these birds arriving on Runway 4 from Planeview Park. Check out the LGA Spotting Guide for directions. (It is also possible the airport will be using Runway 22 for arrivals, which would make them visible from the Bronx, but likely too high for great photos. Call LGA ATIS to find out which runway is in use: 718-478-6070.
Southwest’s ferry from DAL crosses the Grand Central Parkway on short final for LGA runway 4. Under the left wing is LGA’s beautiful old control tower, on the right side you see its replacement under construction. (Photo by Matt Molnar)
UPDATE 6:35PM
- 8726 just touched down on Runway 4 from BWI. Landing on 4 from BWI makes for some quick flights…8726 was in the air only 31 minutes!
UPDATE 6:10PM
- Just discovered N939WN is actually Southwest’s newest plane, delivered just a few days ago.
- SWA 8726 is in the air enroute to LGA for a 6:30ish arrival, but some approaching thunderstorms could make things interesting.
UPDATE 4:49PM
The eagle has landed! N939WN touched down at 4:08pm! See photo above.
UPDATE 3:00PM
- Barring a wind shift, things are looking good for continued Runway 4 operations this afternoon.
- SWA 8725 is in the air, on its way to LGA from DAL. ETA 4:20pm local time. Track it on FlightAware.
- The flight from BWI, SWA 8726, is scheduled for a 6:00pm departure according to BWI’s flight status page, which should mean a 7:00pm arrival.
