Southwest Airways will reduce 30 routes subsequent spring

Southwest Airways will reduce as many as 30 routes from its map subsequent March, the most recent in a bigger transformation on the firm geared toward boosting earnings.

The cuts hit Denver Worldwide Airport (DEN) — the Dallas-based service’s largest airport by each flights and seats — and St. Louis Lambert Worldwide Airport (STL) the toughest, with every shedding seven routes, the most recent schedule knowledge from aviation analytics agency Cirium reveals.

The cuts are available Southwest’s March 2026 schedule replace that additionally consists of greater than a dozen new routes, plus one new vacation spot: McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) close to Knoxville, Tennessee. The additions — and the bigger schedule replace — embody extra connection-oriented flights that start to pivot Southwest towards one thing completely new: a hub-and-spoke route map just like the one utilized by legacy airways.

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“We are going to nonetheless have the biggest point-to-point community within the trade however, with extra connection choices layered in, driving improved community utility and extra choices for our prospects,” Andrew Watterson, Southwest’s chief working officer, mentioned in late July. “The connection alternatives will fluctuate by season, day of week and time of day with much less construction connectivity in peak instances.”

Southwest is within the midst of a bigger transformation to spice up earnings. It started charging bag charges in Could and can start assigning seats and promoting new extra-legroom seats early subsequent yr.

What routes did Southwest reduce?

Southwest will finish 30 routes primarily based on TPG’s evaluation of the airline’s schedule replace that runs from March 5, 2026, by April 6, 2026. The airline doesn’t publish flights past that date.

A Southwest spokesperson mentioned most of the reductions are seasonal, with solely 11 thought of “everlasting” route exits. Nonetheless, all of the routes TPG lists as reduce have been flown for the complete yr previous to March 2026.

The very best-profile cuts happen at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL), which loses nonstops to each New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Raleigh-Durham Worldwide Airport (RDU) in North Carolina. Southwest faces fierce competitors on each routes from Atlanta’s hometown service, Delta Air Strains, however each are additionally giant enterprise markets in their very own proper.

DEN loses seven “seasonal” nonstops that beforehand had been year-round: Albany Worldwide Airport (ALB) and Buffalo Niagara Worldwide Airport (BUF) in New York, Bradley Worldwide Airport (BDL) close to Hartford, Charleston Worldwide Airport (CHS) in South Carolina, Charlotte Douglas Worldwide Airport (CLT), Norfolk Worldwide Airport (ORF) in Virginia and Rhode Island T.F. Inexperienced Worldwide Airport (PVD) in Windfall, Cirium schedules present.

And the seven routes dropped from STL are: Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) in California; CLT; Des Moines Worldwide Airport (DSM) in Iowa; Clinton Nationwide Airport (LIT) in Little Rock, Arkansas; Oklahoma’s Tulsa Worldwide Airport (TUL) and Will Rogers Worldwide Airport (OKC) in Oklahoma Metropolis; and Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower Nationwide Airport (ICT) in Kansas.

Baltimore/Washington Worldwide Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Harry Reid Worldwide Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas and California’s Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK) additionally noticed cuts.

Southwest’s new connecting flights

Southwest is making extra modifications to its schedule past including routes that concentrate on connecting vacationers. It is also including routes geared toward facilitating connections — one other main change in Southwest’s technique. These routes, which have few vacationers flying solely between them each day, are usually quick — typically just some hundred miles — and feed immediately into the airline’s giant bases.

The March 2026 schedule replace features a few of those, resembling Southwest’s new routes between Chicago’s Halfway Worldwide Airport (MDW) and Milwaukee Mitchell Worldwide Airport (MKE), at simply 80 miles, and between Nashville Worldwide Airport (BNA) and TYS, at 152 miles.

In March, the airline may also add new nonstops that concentrate on connections between MDW and DSM, ICT and TUL, and Dallas Love Discipline (DAL) and OKC.

Brett Snyder, writer of the weblog Cranky Flier, wrote on Monday that 4 Southwest bases — BNA, DEN, MDW and STL — see flights rescheduled into 4 connecting “banks,” or when arrivals and departures are coordinated to facilitate connections.

“With higher connectivity that makes use of the 4 hubs to create alternative all through the day and the introduction of redeyes, Southwest has became the factor it at all times pretended it did not need to be … an airline well-equipped for connections,” he wrote.

Under is an inventory of all of the routes Southwest will finish, both completely or seasonally, in March 2025.

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