Southwest Airlines Adds 2 Routes, Extends Schedule Into 2020
Southwest Airlines is adding two nonstop routes to its schedule, announced by the carrier on Thursday as it extended its booking schedule through Jan. 5.
From its base at Baltimore/Washington (BWI), Southwest will add daily nonstop service to Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina (GSP). The route, which will begin Nov. 3, restores service that Southwest last offered in 2016.
Southwest also will add Saturday-only service between Boston (BOS) and Fort Lauderdale, Florida (FLL). The route is a competitive one, already served by Delta, JetBlue and Spirit.
Elsewhere, Southwest also adjust its schedules at Long Beach, California, where it is juggling shifting slot availability at the capacity controlled airport. Beginning Oct. 1, Southwest will offer the following schedule there:
Related: The 7 Best Starter Credit Cards
- Oakland (OAK): Four daily flights.
- San Jose, California (SJC).: Four flights a day on weekdays and three flights on Saturdays and Sundays
- Sacramento, California (SMF): Four flights a day on weekdays and three flights on Saturdays and Sundays
- Las Vegas (LAS): Two flights a day on weekends. Also, for October only, an additional round-trip flight each Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Denver (DEN): For October only, one round-trip flight each Saturday and Sunday.
"Southwest's schedule offering for Long Beach Customers is built using a combination of slots allocated both longer-term and monthly by the airport," Southwest said in a statement to The Points Guy. "This leveraging of unused slots enables us to offer a published schedule of up to 16 departures a day this summer, for example, through our current allocation of 12 structural slots. We appreciate the airport ensuring that unused capacity is made available."
THE POINTS GUY: Southwest Schedule Extended: Book Your Winter Flights Now
Southwest said no routes were being permanently discontinued in its latest schedule update. However, several are being ended seasonally – a common practice at Southwest as it shifts capacity between its winter and summer schedules. Dropped markets are largely being replaced in the winter schedule with warm-weather options, such as Austin (AUS), Texas, to Cancun (CUN), Mexico, and Denver (DEN) to Belize (BZE).
Overall, the schedule extension was a relatively quiet one for Southwest, with few new routes added to the schedule. While Southwest made no specific mention of it in its statement, the indefinite grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX has certainly become a headache for schedule planners at the carrier. Southwest currently has 34 737 MAX 8s in its fleet, making it the largest MAX operator in the US. When it first took the jet out of its schedules, Southwest said it was canceling up to 150 flights a day to compensate for the loss of the aircraft. Going forward, Southwest now cannot count on an aircraft it expected to be in its schedules.
NEW ROUTES
Baltimore/Washington-Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina
Daily service. One daily round-trip flight begins Nov. 3.
Direct competition: None.
Boston-Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Saturday-only service. Begins Nov. 9.
Direct competition: Delta, JetBlue and Spirit currently offer daily service between Boston and Fort Lauderdale. American also flies from Boston to nearby Miami. Delta begins Boston-Miami service in December.
SEASONAL RESUMPTIONS
Daily service begins Nov. 3:
- Austin-Cancun, Mexico
Saturday-only service begins Nov. 9 between the following city-pairs:
- Houston Hobby (HOU)-Aruba (AUA)
- Nashville (BNA)-Cancun
- Milwaukee (MKE)-Cancun
- San Antonio (SAT)-Cancun
- Baltimore/Washington-Liberia, Costa Rica (LIR)
- Baltimore/Washington-San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO)
- Denver (DEN)-Belize (BZE)
- Chicago Midway (MDW)- Los Cabos, Mexico (SJD)
Seasonal suspensions
The routes being suspended for the winter schedule: St. Louis-Panama City, Florida; Indianapolis-New Orleans; Indianapolis-Oakland; Kansas City, Missouri-Portland, Oregon; Chicago Midway-Pensacola, Florida; Chicago Midway-Reno, Nevada; and Minneapolis/St. Paul-Oakland.
Schedules on those routes are a mix of daily and weekend-only service, and Southwest notes some will temporarily resume during the busy travel windows around the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's holidays.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.