Southwest adds 10 new routes, cuts two; drops Paine Field plan

Ben Mutzabaugh | USA TODAY

Southwest Airlines announced 10 nonstop routes and dropped two as it extended its booking schedule through early August on Thursday.

The big winner was Nashville, Tennessee, where Southwest will add five nonstop routes and bolster schedules on six existing routes. Beyond Nashville, Southwest also revealed five additional new routes, including new options in California, Texas and Nebraska, among others.

But Southwest also said it was abandoning a plan to fly from Paine Field, a secondary Seattle-area airport in Everett, Washington. Southwest said in January it would add five daily flights from the airport, but the carrier now says it instead has “entered into an agreement with Alaska Airlines to transfer the carrier’s slot access” there.

“The decision is based on business considerations and terms of the agreement are confidential,” Southwest said in a statement Thursday. Alaska Airlines simultaneously announced its initial schedule for Everett, which does not currently have commercial airline service.

More: Alaska Airlines: Everett Paine Field flights will begin Feb. 11

Also in Thursday’s announcement: Southwest will drop two routes from Atlanta, ending nonstop service to both Detroit and Minneapolis/St. Paul in early June. All three of those cities are hubs for rival Delta.

As for Southwest’s growth in Nashville, the carrier says it will be “offering its biggest schedule ever” there once the new flights begin.

“These new flights are a result of the demand we’re seeing from customers as they ask for more options to the places that matter most in their lives,” Andrew Watterson, Southwest Airlines’ chief revenue officer, says in a statement that also cites Nashville’s “thriving” economy.

Southwest’s additions from Nashville include new nonstop service to the California cities of Burbank and San Jose. Also on the docket is a new route to Omaha, Nebraska, though that route will operate only on Sundays. Additionally, Southwest will add nonstop flights from Nashville to Seattle and Norfolk, Virginia, restoring seasonal routes it offered previously. Southwest's Nashville-Seattle route last flew in September 2018 while the Nashville-Norfolk flight has not been offered since 2014. The flights will begin June 9.

Aside from new routes, Southwest says it will add more daily flights to its existing schedules between Nashville and Boston, Detroit, Las Vegas, Minneapolis/St. Paul, St. Louis and San Diego. The increased schedules will begin June 10.

On the international front, Southwest revealed new Saturday-only routes between Baltimore/Washington (BWI) and the Cayman Islands and between Houston Hobby and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

Also included in the schedule update were dozens of seasonal routes that are returning, as expected. Among those are Houston Hobby-Portland, Oregon; Indianapolis-San Diego; and Seattle-Kansas City, Missouri.

Scroll down for a full list of all of Southwest’s new routes.

Nashville-Burbank, California

Daily service begins June 9. Direct competition: None.

Nashville-San Jose, California

Daily service begins June 9. Direct competition: None.

Nashville-Norfolk, Virginia

Seasonal daily service begins June 9. Direct competition: None.

Nashville-Seattle

Seasonal daily service begins June 9. Direct competition: Alaska Airlines, Delta.

Nashville-Omaha

Seasonal Sunday-only service begins June 9. Direct competition: None.

San Diego-Omaha

Daily service begins June 9. Direct competition: Alaska Airlines.

San Francisco-Ontario, California

Four daily round-trip flights begin June 9. Weekend schedule will have three round-trip flights. Direct competition: United.

Austin, Texas-Raleigh/Durham

Daily service begins June 9. Direct competition: Delta, Frontier.

Baltimore/Washington-Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Seasonal Saturday-only service begins June 15, pending regulatory approval. Direct competition: None.

Houston Hobby-Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Seasonal Saturday-only service begins June 15, pending regulatory approval. Direct competition: None, but United flies the route from its hub at nearby Houston Bush Intercontinental.

Increased Nashville frequencies

Boston (4 weekday flights a day, up from 3); Detroit (3, up from 1); Las Vegas (4 flights, up 1 from current weekday schedule); Minneapolis/St. Paul (2, up from 1); San Diego (3, up from 2); St. Louis (4, up from 3).

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