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Are New Fees Affecting Southwest?
posted (June 5, 2017)
But how are the new departure fees affecting Southwest - which prides itself as a discount carrier? The new departure fee was adjusted to $40.00 in the last budget presentation - which is after Southwest had already announced introductory fares as law as 79 US dollars one way to Belize. But then the new government fee were imposed - and those are all bundled into the cost of a ticket. So we wondered if it was kind of like moving the goalposts. Here's what the BTB's Director and the Southwest Representative said:

Karen Bevans, Director of Tourism
"From the results I am seeing already for May, I am not seeing any impact as yet and the beauty about it is that the taxes are paid within the ticket cost so there is nothing to say this is tax, this is the cost of the ticket and this is something else , it is just one cost for a direct route or direct flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Belize or from anywhere to Belize and you just get a total cost so you wouldn't know what the departure tax is or any tax is and we are happy because of competition and the rates are going down so the increase in departure tax isn't very obvious."

David Doty, Sr. Manager, Business Development
"The good news is with Southwest airlines, we are the airline that is Yes to customers! And No to fees! So no change fees to change your ticket and we don't charge for your bags so right there the offset is going to be an advantage for us as customers are shopping around."

Three months ago Southwest introduced its first flight from Denver, Colorado to Belize, and it also flies from Hobby International in Houston.

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7 News Belize