Beantown showdown: JetBlue and Southwest face off

NEW YORK — The cool kids of the airline industry are giving big-city travelers more opportunities to show who they like more.

For years, JetBlue and Southwest catered to customers in the same way — with cheap fares and good customer service — but avoided much head-to-head competition in major markets. These days, they are trying to distinguish themselves as they ramp-up competition in places like New York, Washington, Baltimore — and starting this weekend, Boston.

Fliers stand to benefit as these airlines expand in the Northeast. This rivalry not only pits one popular low-cost carrier against another; it puts further pressure on other airlines to stay competitive with them.

It also means JetBlue and Southwest must find ways to differentiate themselves. Southwest is touting its fewer baggage fees and more extensive nationwide presence, while JetBlue is highlighting its live TV service and its own comprehensive route system.

Just over a month after Southwest began flying out of New York's LaGuardia — eight miles from JetBlue's base at John F. Kennedy International — Southwest begins service on Sunday from Boston's Logan International Airport. In September, Southwest starts service between Boston and Baltimore.

A few years back, their flights mostly crossed paths in places like Burbank, Calif., and Orlando, Fla.

The move to New York was a game-changer for Southwest. Formerly it concentrated on smaller, less-congested airports, where it could count on quick turnarounds, a key to its low-cost model.

And with Southwest breathing down its neck, JetBlue has had to make a more aggressive defense of its traditional turf, cutting fares and mulling new routes.

Expect to see low fares discounted further on routes where Southwest and JetBlue will compete out of Boston — especially to Northeastern markets, Chicago and Los Angeles.

When Southwest announced it would fly from Boston to Baltimore for as low as $49, JetBlue said a week later it would launch the same route — offering tickets for $10 less.

"It makes me think of gunfighters in the Old West — who is going to be the last man standing?" said Harlan Platt, a finance professor at Northeastern University who follows the airline industry.

Dallas-based Southwest is the biggest U.S. airline by the number passengers flown. JetBlue is tenth, but it's No. 2 at Logan.