Southwest Airlines adds Steamboat Springs as first-ever seasonal destination
Southwest Airlines will land in the Colorado ski destination of Steamboat Springs later this year, the first-ever seasonal addition to its route map.
The Dallas-based carrier will offer daily service between Steamboat Springs (HDN) and Denver (DEN) starting in late 2020, Southwest said late Monday. The flight schedule and start date will be released later.
The addition of Steamboat, a destination in northwest Colorado known for its winter sports, comes at a time of experimentation for the network planners in Dallas. Southwest has lots of experience flying seasonally popular routes, but it has never added a single destination that it intends to serve for only part of the year – which is what it will try in Steamboat Springs. The carrier also is trying other new scheduling tactics, such as adding a number of "imbalanced" routes to cope with the Boeing 737 MAX grounding. An imbalanced route is one with more flights in one direction than the other, and is uncommon among airline planners.
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Southwest has also trimmed some of its longer routes in favor of more frequent, shorter routes that can connect passengers over its large bases in response to the MAX suspension, the airline's president, Thomas Nealon, said in January.
The carrier had planned to operate 78 737 MAX jets at the end of 2019. None of those planes are flying today, nor does Southwest expect them in the air before August, as the grounding prepares to enter its second year next month.
The new seasonal service to Steamboat Springs likely targets what Southwest sees as a period of opportunity when it has available aircraft. At just 141 miles from Denver, it also could add the market as utilization flying, which is when an airline puts an otherwise idle aircraft to use on a short route before a longer flight.
Related: Planning your ski trip with points and miles
“We’re looking forward to bringing our world famous hospitality paired with customer-friendly policies like 'skis and snowboards fly free' closer to the slopes of the Rocky Mountains later this year," Adam Decaire, vice president of network planning at Southwest, said in a statement. He called the route a "short, easy flight from Denver."
The Steamboat route will also bolster Southwest's large and growing base -- the airline does not technically have "hubs" -- at Denver International Airport, which is already the third-largest in its network with 214 daily departures. The carrier has a deal with the airport to add 16 gates, for a total of 40 gates, to its facilities there by 2022.
Southwest will compete with United Airlines between Denver and Steamboat, according to Cirium schedules. United operates one of its largest hubs in Denver.
Related: Southwest Airlines is getting more gates at Denver Airport
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Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees