Southwest Airlines unveils 10 new Chicago O'Hare, Colorado Springs routes
Southwest Airlines will launch 10 new routes when it begins flights to Chicago O'Hare and Colorado Springs early next year, two of nine new destinations that it is adding to its map during the coronavirus pandemic. The carrier will debut with five routes at each the cities.
Flights to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) begin in February with introductory one-way fares beginning at $39, Southwest said Wednesday. Flights to Colorado Springs (COS) begin a month later, with one-way fares beginning at $29. Tickets are on sale now for the new flights.
Gary Kelly, CEO of the Dallas-based carrier, has described expanding Southwest's map during the pandemic as "playing offense" in an effort to gain U.S. marketshare coming out of the crisis. Flights to Miami (MIA) and Palm Springs (PSP) begin in November; ski destinations Montrose (MTJ) and Steamboat Springs (HDN) in Colorado begin in December; and Chicago O'Hare; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH); Jackson, Mississippi (JAN); and Savannah (SAV), Georgia, in 2021.
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Southwest will begin service to O'Hare with 20 daily flights on Feb. 14:
- Baltimore/Washington (BWI) four-times daily
- Dallas Love Field (DAL) four-times daily
- Denver (DEN) six-times daily
- Nashville (BNA) four-times daily
- Phoenix (PHX) twice daily
The new flights complement the carrier's existing base at Chicago Midway (MDW) airport on the city's south side. On Oct. 22, Kelly said capacity limits at Midway blocked Southwest from growing there and prompted the expansion to O'Hare on the north side of the city.
“If we don’t move now, we risk never getting in there," he said.
Southwest will operate from common use gates in Terminal 5 at O'Hare, said spokesperson Dan Landson.
Related: Southwest Airlines expands again, adds three more cities to its route map
The carrier begins service to Colorado Springs with 13 daily flights on March 11:
- Chicago Midway twice daily
- Dallas Love Field three-times daily
- Denver four-times daily
- Las Vegas (LAS) twice daily
- Phoenix twice daily
Colorado Springs flights expand Southwest's presence in the Front Range region of Colorado, a roughly 175-mile long corridor stretching from Pueblo in the south to Fort Collins in the north. At the region's center is Denver, where the airline already has a large base.
Related: Palm Springs is booming with new flights during the pandemic
Southwest continues to fly far less than it flew a year ago owing to the coronavirus. During the three months ending in December, it plans to fly roughly 35% less than in the same period in 2019.
The airline hopes to resume flying at 2019 levels by the end of 2021, said Kelly earlier in October. However, it expects a full recovery in air travel from the pandemic to take longer.
Southwest has not released schedules for its new flight flights from Houston Intercontinental, Jackson or Savannah.
Related: 5 reasons to ski at Steamboat Springs this year
Updated with Southwest's terminal location at O'Hare.
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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