Southwest Airlines' new assigned seating model — complete with its first-ever extra-legroom seats — is set for takeoff in early 2026.
27.09.2024 - 14:51 / travelandleisure.com
Southwest Airlines is on the move with new routes, while trimming others.
Specifically, the airline confirmed on Thursday to Travel + Leisure that it's cutting service at the the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).
While the airline told T+L that the new schedule changes at ATL won't take place for another six months, it'll increase focus on, what they consider, popular destinations for the airline such as Austin and Denver, while cutting underperforming routes such as Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Philadelphia, and Louisville.
A full listing of the flight schedule changes was not immediately available.
The airline will also begin new, nonstop service between Orlando and San Diego. The 5-hour and 20-minute flight will be operated five times a week, and tickets are currently on sale. Southwest is also starting service between Orlando and Richmond. Both routes will begin on April 10, 2025.
“We continue to optimize our network to meet customer demand, best utilize our fleet, and maximize revenue opportunities,” a Southwest Airlines spokesperson shared in a statement to Travel + Leisure. “Decisions like these are difficult for our company because of the effects on our people, but we have a history of more than 53 years of ensuring they are taken care of.”
Also this week, Southwest announced they would be expanding flights from Nashville, including new service to Albany, Albuquerque, Jackson, Memphis, and Tulsa. In August, Southwest announced that Baltimore, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles would be among the first markets to receive newly-launched overnight flight routes that will provide more travel options for passengers.
The flurry of route changes come as Southwest Airlines has been under additional scrutiny from investors over profitability and growth, and come as the airline recently hosted an Investor’s Day that announced a partnership with Icelandair for international flight connections.
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A popular low-cost air airline is expanding globally. Southwest Airlines recently announced a partnership to offer international flights by partnering with carriers who operate international fights in Southwest markets. “Southwest is formalizing partnerships with international carriers to expand its network and connect Customers with more global destinations to generate additional demand for travel across the Southwest network,” Southwest shared in a news release. The launch of this new international flight program will take place in 2025, with Icelandair as the first partner airline, and will depart from the Baltimore, MD (BWI) airport. There, travelers can fly on Icelandair to Iceland, where they can connect to a variety of European destinations including Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Dublin, Oslo, Prague, Rome, and more. Icelandair is a discount carrier that operates international flights, and similar to Southwest, does not have a first or business class section on their aircraft. “The partnership will unlock many exciting travel options for our customers, and our extensive network in Europe will open for Southwest customers,” Icelandair President and CEO Bogi Nils Bogason said in a statement. “As part of our strategic focus on expanding our global partnership network, we seek out airlines known for exceptional service and connectivity.” As an example, a traveler would start their journey on Southwest from Nashville to Baltimore, and then continue on Icelandair from Baltimore to Iceland.
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Southwest Airlines is extending its flight schedule into early next summer and introducing new destinations from its Nashville hub. The airline, which usually releases its schedule eight months in advance, has just released its booking calendar through June 4, 2025, announced Wednesday. With the schedule update, the carrier has announced several key updates across its network. For starters, the carrier will expand significantly out of Nashville International Airport (BNA), which has been one of Southwest's fastest-growing hubs and newest crew bases. Starting April 8, 2025, the carrier will begin daily service from Nashville to Albuquerque, Jackson, and Tulsa; as well as up to 6x weekly flights to Providence and up to 5x weekly flights to Albany. In addition, the airline will offer “intra-Tennessee service for the first time” with its brand-new, once-daily service from Nashville to Memphis. “The new flights will boost Southwest’s scheduled presence in Nashville to an all-time high of 174 Sunday departures in April and May 2025,” the airline wrote in a statement. The new route announcement comes as the airline is undergoing notable changes, as Southwest will introduce its first-ever overnight flights to its network next February. With today’s announcement, the airline shared a few more routes that will see redeye service — flights from Honolulu to Las Vegas and Phoenix, Kona to Las Vegas, and Maui to Las Vegas and Phoenix will be offered as red-eyes starting April 8, 2025.
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Hurricane Helene is forecasted to bring heavy rain, storm surge, and travel disruptions throughout the southeast, with winds potentially reaching 129 mph, The Weather Channel shared with Travel + Leisure. In anticipation of the oncoming storm, airlines have begun issuing travel waivers to accommodate passengers who may be impacted. This helps travelers rearrange their travel plans before a storm cancels a flight. For example, Delta Air Lines has issued a waiver for travel between September 25 and September 27 to or from Cancun, Tampa, Orlando, and a dozen more cities.
Southeastern France’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is famous for some big things, from Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps, and the rolling landscapes that unfurl below it to the millennia-spanning architecture that defines the region’s capital city, Lyon, and beyond. Ironically, one of the best ways to experience all that grandeur is to think small — that is, to visit the small towns that reflect the best of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes’ endless outdoor possibilities, robust agriculture and gastronomy, and long history and cultural heritage.
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