Southwest Airlines is set to expand its domestic network next year, having just added eight new routes to its U.S. service map. The Points Guy first noticed the alterations in Cirium schedules and afterward confirmed them with a Southwest spokesperson.
All of the new routes will launch in August 2025, and the list includes a mix of both long-haul and short-haul flights.
The new routes are as follows:
- Austin to San Francisco
- Nashville to Louisville
- Indianapolis to Chicago Midway
- Los Angeles to Orlando
- Orlando to Miami
- Orlando to West Palm Beach, Florida
- Orlando to Sarasota, Florida
- Phoenix to Santa Barbara, California
Three of the new routes are not entirely new to Southwest. The airline previously operated flights between Phoenix and Santa Barbara, and between Indianapolis and Chicago Midway as recently as 2020. The route from Orlando to West Palm Beach, however, had been long abandoned, having last operated in 2002.
The majority of the new routes will operate daily, with a few exceptions. The Phoenix to Santa Barbara route will be offered on Sundays only, while the Nashville to Louisville route will operate six days a week, excluding Saturdays.
Interestingly, half of these routes originate from Orlando, one of Southwest's busiest hubs. While the new Orlando-to-Los Angeles transcontinental service connects two major markets already served by competitors like American, Delta and United, the airline is also tapping into short-haul Florida demand by launching three short intrastate flights to Miami, Sarasota and West Palm Beach.
The addition of the Austin to San Francisco route comes mere weeks after Delta announced an identical route. Although Southwest is the dominant carrier in the bustling Texas city, Delta has been growing its market there for several years now.
The new route from Nashville to Louisville arrives as Southwest appears to be prioritizing Nashville over Atlanta as a hub in the Southeast. The airline opened a new crew base there earlier this year and plans to expand its Sunday departures from the Tennessee metropolis to their highest volume ever next year.
In September, Southwest added six new routes from Nashville, even as it slashed 15 routes out of Atlanta. The airline is also venturing into intrastate service in Tennessee with a new Nashville-to-Memphis route in 2025.
Southwest's latest route expansion comes after the airline extended its booking window to October 1, 2025. Although the carrier did not provide a statement on these network changes, it referred The Points Guy to its latest 8-K report filed in early December, which offers a window onto the airline’s plans to improve profitability.
The filing states, "Tactical actions include improving network optimization and capacity rationalization, marketing and distribution evolution, and continued efforts to advance revenue management techniques."
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