Southwest Airlines adds 16 new routes, including from Houston and Long Beach
Southwest Airlines announced 16 new daily nonstop routes on Thursday as the carrier extended its booking schedule into August.
Included in the latest update are Southwest’s schedules for Houston Bush Intercontinental and Jackson, Mississippi – two cities it’s returning to after an extended absence – and a big expansion in Long Beach, California. Southwest also revealed new daily routes from Miami and Phoenix.
Southwest’s service from Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH) will begin April 12 with 18 daily round-trip flights to five nonstop destinations: Chicago Midway, Dallas Love, Denver, Nashville, New Orleans.
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To Denver, Southwest will go head-to-head with United on a route between two of that rival’s busiest hubs. Southwest will begin its Denver-Houston Bush Intercontinental schedule with three daily round-trip flights. United’s current schedule shows 11 daily weekday round-trips in April.
Southwest CEO Gary Kelly sounded undeterred about taking on United when asked about it Tuesday during an online webinar with The Wings Club of New York, noting Southwest is already strong in both markets.
Southwest has long flown from Houston Hobby south of the city, where it already offers eight daily round-trips flights to Denver.
Exlusive TPG Q&A: Southwest CEO Gary Kelly chats about his legacy, new cities and change fees
But Kelly predicted the new service from from Intercontinental on the city's northside would expand its Houston marketshare by appealing to the metro area's suburbs there, "where there's been a lot of growth. We don't really tap into customers in those zip codes with Hobby."
"We have existing customers in the Houston area that will likely prefer to use Intercontinental, "he said. "We’ll win some new customers. We’ll have customers in Denver that would prefer to fly to Bush instead of Hobby."
Southwest last served Houston Bush Intercontinental in 2005.
Elsewhere, Southwest’s return to Jackson will come June 6, when the airline will begin flying seven daily flights from the Mississippi capital to three destinations (Atlanta, Baltimore and Houston Hobby). Southwest previously flew from Jackson from 1997 to 2014.
More: Southwest Airlines CEO says Miami push part of long-term strategy, not ‘pandemic play’
In California, Southwest announced five new routes from the Long Beach Airport near Los Angeles. Flights to Chicago Midway, Dallas Love, Houston Hobby, St. Louis and Reno will begin March 11.
The expansion will give Southwest a total of 13 nonstop destinations from Long Beach, including previously announced Honolulu service that debuts March 11.
Phoenix also scored a win in Southwest’s latest schedule update, landing a new international route with service to Cancun, Mexico. That will begin April 12 and complement the carrier's existing international routes between Phoenix and the Mexican beach resorts of Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta.
And Southwest is adding even more routes at two new Florida cities that just joined to its route map.
From Miami – which Southwest began serving in November – new flights to Denver and Nashville begin March 11. And, in Sarasota – which won’t see its first Southwest flights until February – Southwest is already planning three more routes that will fly only on Saturdays. That service – to Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio – begins March 13.
More: Southwest adds Sarasota, makes it 10 new cities in coronavirus expansion
Scroll down for full breakdown of the new routes included in Southwest’s latest schedule update.
Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH)
Chicago Midway (MDW): 2 daily round-trip flights
Dallas Love (DAL): 6 daily round-trip flights
Denver (DEN): 3 daily round-trip flights
Nashville (BNA): 3 daily round-trip flights
New Orleans (MSY): 4 daily round-trip flights
All routes begin April 12
More: Southwest Airlines expands again, adds Jackson and two other cities
Jackson, Mississippi (JAN)
Atlanta (ATL): 3 daily round-trip flights
Baltimore (BWI): 1 daily round-trip flight
Houston Hobby (HOU): 3 daily round-trip flights
All routes begin June 6
More: Southwest unveils Steamboat Springs routes, adds new destination during pandemic
Long Beach, California (LGB)
Chicago Midway (MDW): 1 daily round-trip flight, increases to two daily flights on April 11
Dallas Love (DAL): 1 daily round-trip flight
Honolulu (HNL): 1 daily round-trip flight (previously announced)
Houston Hobby (HOU): 1 daily round-trip flight, increases to two daily flights on April 11
St. Louis (STL): 1 daily round-trip flight
Reno (RNO): 1 daily round-trip flight
All routes begin March 11
Miami (MIA)
Denver (DEN): 2 daily round-trip flights begin March 11
Nashville (BNA): 2 daily round-trip flights begin March 11
Phoenix (PHX)
Cancun, Mexico (CUN): 1 daily round-trip flight begins March 11
Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida (SRQ)
Columbus, Ohio (CMH): Saturday-only service begins March 13
Indianapolis (IND): Saturday-only service begins March 13
Pittsburgh (PIT): Saturday-only service begins March 13
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| 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. |
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
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 $6,000 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.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.