It also will add Savannah (SAV) to its map next year. Southwest plans return to Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH) and Jackson, Mississippi (JAN), after multi-year hiatuses. More new routes to these cities are coming. "Southwest has one of the best domestic hub networks possible, and each new city makes the hubs more and more powerful," wrote Cranky Flier author Brett Snyder in a recent piece on the carrier's new Chicago and Colorado Springs routes. All but two of the 21 new routes unveiled from six new cities -Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Colorado Springs (COS), Miami (MIA), Montrose (MTJ) and Steamboat Springs (HDN) in Colorado, and Palm Springs (PSP) - are to those nine airports. Southwest's COVID growth spree is only accentuating these hubs. The Nashville airport opened a new Concourse D for Southwest's hub in July. Related: Southwest Airlines unveils 10 new Chicago O’Hare, Colorado Springs routes The carrier was able to slash its schedule by dropping many nonstop flights but keep cities by focusing flights on primarily the hubs. officials let airlines drop up to 5% of their cities after receiving federal aid. Southwest likes to say how it maintained service to every dot on its map - even when U.S. The pandemic made connectivity all the more important. Others, including Dallas Love Field (DAL) and Las Vegas (LAS), are all busy airports in Southwest's system and offer some flight transfers. Offering both a nonstop and connecting flight option expands its appeal to travelers, and creates more flexibility within the its own operation.Īnd the nine aforementioned hubs are not the only places where Southwest offers connections. Citing Virginia's Norfolk (ORF) as an example, he explained how Southwest can attract more flyers to its daily flight to Orlando by also offering connections over Baltimore. Whether or not he calls them hubs, Watterson said offering connectivity is beneficial. Related: State-by-state guide to coronavirus reopening This title has long been held by Atlanta, home of Delta Air Lines' largest hub. This makes it easy for a flyer from, say, Louisville (SDF) get to Albuquerque (ABQ) without the benefit of a nonstop flight.Īmerican's hub at the North Texas airport has made it the country's busiest from April through at least July, the latest month with available BTS data. At DFW hub for example, American operated seven banks of coordinated arrivals and departures between 7 a.m. See privacy policy.Īn airline hub is commonly defined as an airport that sees "banks" of flights arrive and depart in close proximity to one another to enable transfers. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. I would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. Related: Southwest Airlines expands again, adds three more cities to its route map Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston and Phoenix are also the carrier's busiest averaging more than 100 daily departures since the COVID crisis began. Louis (STL) are the airline's major connecting airports, according to a presentation by Southwest commercial chief Andrew Watterson in October. Take away all of the Albany-Las Vegas or Richmond-Orlando flights and Southwest has hubs buttressing it's route map.Ītlanta (ATL), Baltimore/Washington (BWI), Chicago Midway (MDW), Denver (DEN), Houston Hobby (HOU), Nashville (BNA), Oakland (OAK), Phoenix (PHX) and St. The coronavirus pandemic laid bare a strategy that has been been evident for much of the decade since the airline's 2010 acquisition of AirTran Airways. ![]() Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG's free new biweekly Aviation newsletter!īut like all things, change is - and has been - afoot at Southwest. See a Las Vegas (LAS) flight in your future? Southwest's your airline. ![]() Want a nonstop to Orlando (MCO)? Southwest probably does it. Instead, in many cases, they could avail themselves of Southwest's many nonstop flights from their hometown to popular destinations. Southwest Airlines has long touted its point-to-point approach to flying as a key to its success.įlyers taking advantage of the airline's "everyday low fares" did not all have to go through Atlanta or Chicago to reach their final destination.
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