Southwest Bets on Summer Travel with 31 New Routes
Southwest Airlines is betting on increased leisure travel for spring and summer, with another expansion. The airlines is adding 31 new routes to its leisure network with focus on Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Austin, Texas.
This announcement follows Southwest recent changes that reverted back to boarding in groups of 30 instead of 10 and serving soft drinks onboard.
“We continue to tailor our schedule with added flights to address closer-in demand for leisure destinations while making foundational additions to our map that position our network for the future,” Andrew Watterson, Southwest Airlines Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer said in the press release. “For Myrtle Beach, we know the arrival of our two bags fly free*—with a golf bag able to count as one of those—will encourage visitors to fly Southwest instead of drive, and consider a quicker trip with us and our value propositions of bags fly free, golf bags fly free, low fares, and flexible policies. We’re so pleased to share our Heart with them in time to bring visitors this summer.”
Myrtle Beach
Beginning Sunday, May 23, 2021, Southwest will add service to a third airport in South Carolina, giving Southwest Customers across the country access to Myrtle Beach through five nonstop cities offered within the first week of service: Baltimore/Washington (BWI), Chicago (Midway), and Nashville; and additional nonstop service from Dallas (Love Field) and Pittsburgh will operate on Saturdays beginning May 29.
A third wave of service to this stretch of the South Carolina coast will bring options to fly with Southwest nonstop from Atlanta, Columbus, and Indianapolis beginning June 6, 2021. Customers should check Southwest.com for specific itineraries on their desired day of travel, as some nonstop service does not operate every day of the week.
Myrtle Beach is accessible on Southwest Airlines this summer from 50+ cities through same-plane and connecting itineraries. In celebration of the arrival of Southwest Airlines in Myrtle Beach, the airlines is offering one-way fares from some of the new nonstop cities as low as $69 one-way.
Austin
This summer, Southwest will offer its Austin Customers nonstop service to a record 37 cities including Sacramento (beginning May 9), and Burbank, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Orange County, and Salt Lake City (beginning June 6), with one-way fares as low as $99.
Southwest also will offer nonstop service on weekends between Austin and one of the carrier’s newest destinations, Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Fla., beginning June 6.
More Non-Stop Options
New nonstop routes for the summer include daily service beginning May 9 between Denver and Richmond; Las Vegas and Palm Springs, Calif.; and Miami and St Louis. Additional nonstop routes include daily service beginning June 6 between Nashville and Long Island/Islip; as well as Chicago (Midway) and Portland, Maine.
Bozeman, Mont., joins the Southwest network on May 27 with previously announced daily service. Beginning June 6 and through the summer, Southwest will offer additional nonstop service on weekends between Bozeman and Dallas (Love Field), Chicago (Midway), and Phoenix.
The carrier now has published daily service between Denver and both Steamboat Springs and Montrose (Telluride) beginning June 6 and running through the carrier’s available flight schedule into mid-August.
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Also gone (at least through May) is the only nonstop between BWI and OAK, which was the only nonstop between the Washington DC/Baltimore area and the San Francisco Bay area. This was a big surprise as BWI is one of Southwest’s hubs.
Yeah, and some of the previous routes has been closed (to make room for “new” ones), like Denver to Albany.