Southwest Airlines is making some notable changes to its network.
This time around, the Dallas-based carrier is adding four routes to its winter schedule. While the airline billed these flights as “new routes,” none are technically new, as they’ve all been operated in recent years, according to TPG’s analysis of Cirium schedules.
Southwest’s added routes include:
- Miami to Columbus, Ohio (last flight in January 2022)
- Miami to Pittsburgh (last flight in April 2022)
- Chicago — specifically Midway International Airport (MDW) — to Palm Springs, California (last flight in January 2022)
- West Palm Beach, Florida to Providence (last flight April 2023)
The four new routes will begin on January 7, 2025, and are clearly intended to transport travelers from cold-weather cities to warmer pastures during the height of winter. The new flights are already available for booking.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic and immediately after its peak, this tried-and-true strategy of bringing winter-weary, relaxation-minded travelers to California and Florida proved very popular with U.S. airlines.
That said, there has been some softness in sales and bookings for many of these popular vacation destinations in recent months due to overcapacity, so it will be interesting to see how Southwest fares in these markets during the upcoming winter season.
It’s not all good news for Southwest’s network or the airline’s flyers, however. Over the weekend, the airline filed plans to suspend 11 routes through the winter months, as first seen by TPG in Cirium’s schedules and later confirmed by an airline spokesperson.
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Below is the full list of affected routes. Many of these routes historically operated once per week.
- From Atlanta to San Diego
- From Chicago to Rochester, New York
- Dallas is Philadelphia
- Fort Lauderdale to Montego Bay, Jamaica
- From Long Beach, California to Colorado Springs, Colorado
- From Miami to New Orleans
- From Nashville to Oakland, California
- Nashville to San Jose, California
- From Oakland to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
- Orlando to Chicago
- Orlando to El Paso, Texas
Southwest told TPG that these are “seasonal suspensions,” meaning the airline plans to resume flying them in the future. The airline hasn’t published any resumption dates, however, so we’ll have to see if the airline follows through on its word.
“We continue to monitor travel trends and adjust schedules to support our customers, employees and operations,” Southwest said in a statement about the suspensions.
In recent months, Southwest has made a series of changes to its network, aimed at boosting profitability. It has dropped a total of four cities: Bellingham, Washington; Cozumel, Mexico; Syracuse, New York; and Houston — specifically George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). It has also dropped six other routes.
Earlier this year, Southwest even canceled a popular Hawaii route: from Los Angeles to Maui.
The upside is that these cuts have allowed Southwest to find demand in other markets. The airline added 11 new routes in April and May and even unveiled a long list of one-off flights for the upcoming NFL season.
All of these network changes come as the airline makes monumental changes to the passenger experience. This month, Southwest announced it would abandon its open seating policy in favor of assigned seating starting in the coming months.
Southwest will also install premium seats with extra legroom and offer night flights next year.
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