After eight years of absence, Southwest is once again taking on the SFO to LAX route. As reported in the San Francisco Chronicle, Southwest will begin flights on November 4th. They’ll be kicking off with eight flights a day, which gives them two more flights than Virgin America is offering along the LA to San Francisco corridor.

While Southwest has a history of coming in and taking down the old legacy lines, things could be a little different this time out. While United and American, who also fly between LAX and SFO, might be feeling a bit of the burn from Virgin America, it remains to be seen if Southwest can come in and decrease fares even further, as Virgin has done a pretty good job of keeping things affordable.

In the end it might come down to the age-old battle of mood lighting vs. open seating. In the meantime, Californians and visitors looking to take in the whole state can expect to enjoy the low fares that generally come from stiff competition.

As The Cranky Flier said, Its going to be a bloodbath as these guys fight it out. Could we see the return of $19 fares? One can only hope.