Southwest Airlines Drops 16 Daily Nonstop Routes In Latest Schedule Update

Hawaii took center stage as Southwest Airlines rolled out its latest schedule extension last week. But there were a several other big changes that got less attention as the carrier extended its schedule into March 2020.

Among the non-Hawaii changes: Daily nonstop service between Houston Hobby (HOU) and Little Rock, Arkansas, (LIT) will begin Jan. 6, returning Southwest to a route it last flew in 2014.

But the carrier also is dropping 16 other nonstop routes on which it currently offers daily service. The drops take effect Jan. 6.

Among the Southwest cities losing the most nonstop options are Los Angeles (four routes), Boston (three), Dallas Love Field (three) and Orlando (three).

Related: Why the Last Row on Southwest Is the Best Place to Fly

"As we extend our published flight schedule through March 6, 2020, we are making some changes in some markets based on extensive performance reviews to end nonstop service between these city pairs," Southwest spokesman Dan Landson said in a statement to TPG.

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Landson said one-stop itineraries would be available on most of the nonstop options that are being discontinued, adding that the route changes would allow Southwest "to better utilize our People and Planes on routes or to offer more frequencies where demand warrants this investment."

Already, Southwest announced in July that it will pull out of Newark Liberty (EWR) altogether in November.

As for the latest route drops at Southwest, the following nonstop routes will end as of Jan. 6:

Related: The Best Southwest Airlines Credit Card for Family Travelers

• Atlanta-Boston
• Austin-San Francisco
• Boston-Kansas City
• Boston-Milwaukee
• Columbus, Ohio-Oakland
• Dallas Love-Jacksonville, Florida
• Dallas Love-San Francisco
• Dallas Love-Oklahoma City
• Fort Lauderdale-Jacksonville, Florida
• Los Angeles-Cancun, Mexico
• Los Angeles-Omaha, Nebraska
• Los Angeles-Pittsburgh
• Los Angeles-Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• Orlando-Oakland
• Orlando-San Jose, California
• Orlando-Sacramento, California

Also included in Southwest's announcement last week were plans for five new Hawaii routes from California and three new "inter-island" routes within Hawaii.

Among the California airports getting new Hawaii service is Sacramento, where Honolulu will become Southwest's first Hawaii route from the city when it launches on Jan. 19.