Southwest unveils 4 new routes as it extends schedule into 2023
Southwest unveiled four new routes Thursday as the carrier extended its booking schedule into early 2023. Tennessee, California and Colorado were the big winners.
In Tennessee, Nashville International Airport (BNA) will get nonstop flights to both Long Beach Airport (LGB) in California and Yampa Valley Regional Airport (HDN) outside Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Seasonal service to the Colorado ski resort launches Dec. 17 with one round trip each Saturday. Nashville’s Long Beach flights will be daily, beginning Nov. 6. Flights at Long Beach are capped by slots, but Southwest is able to add the Nashville service with the slot pair it picked up from the two relinquished by Delta. The other, according to the Long Beach Business Journal, will go to Breeze, which has not yet announced its plan for the slot.
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In California, San Diego International Airport (SAN), Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) and Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) join Long Beach in picking up new Southwest routes. That includes one new intra-California route, which will link San Jose and Palm Springs with six round trips a week beginning Nov. 6. The route will operate every day except Saturday.
Southwest also will add nonstop service from San Diego to Colorado Springs Airport (COS) – though that route will feature an irregular schedule that will operate “on select peak travel days from late November through early January.”
Southwest schedule extended: Book now to save on flights through Jan. 4, 2023
Elsewhere, Southwest will bring back a number of seasonal routes while others will pause, as planned. Southwest also will tweak schedules on existing routes. The carrier says it will increase flights on “select high-frequency routes,” a move that the company says “will enhance timing options for business travelers and support network reliability in case of operational disruptions (like winter storms).”
Additionally, the carrier plans to increase Florida service with additional Saturday nonstops to the state from cities in the Midwest and Northeast. Those changes will begin in November.
Details of the four new Southwest routes are below.
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San Jose-Palm Springs
- Begins Nov. 6. Daily, except Saturdays.
Nashville-Long Beach
- Begins Nov. 6. Daily.
Nashville-Steamboat Springs
- Seasonal, begins Dec. 17. Saturday-only service.
More: Southwest Airlines unveils Steamboat Springs routes, adds new destination during pandemic
San Diego-Colorado Springs
- Will operate only on peak days. They are: Nov. 22-23, Nov. 27-28, Dec. 21-23, Dec. 26-30 and Jan. 3.
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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