Southwest Airlines adds 2 new routes, extends schedule to November
Southwest Airlines is giving flyers a few new options as it extends its schedule through Nov. 1.
The Dallas-based carrier announced Thursday that it was adding two new routes as part of its schedule extension. The new routes are San Diego to Fresno, California, and Austin to Jacksonville, Florida.
Both of the new routes take off Oct. 2. Flights between San Diego and Fresno will operate on a daily basis, while the new Austin flight will operate every day of the week except for Saturday.
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In addition to the new routes, Southwest will increase service between San Diego and Tampa starting Oct. 2. Right now, the flight is operated once weekly on Saturdays, but starting in the fall, it'll be operated daily from Thursday to Monday.
This may not be Southwest's splashiest schedule extension, but it does contain some exciting updates in two commercially important markets.
In Austin, Southwest is currently the largest carrier (by a long shot). The airline says that October will be its busiest month ever from Austin, when it plans up to 128 peak-day flights. (Delta Air Lines, on the other hand, is the second-largest carrier in Austin and plans about 60 daily flights from Austin in October, according to Cirium schedules.)
Service from Austin to Jacksonville is timed to start just a few months after Delta enters the market in May. Delta was originally poised to enjoy a monopoly on this route, but Southwest seemingly doesn't want to give up any ground to its rival in Austin.
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Meanwhile, the new San Diego route comes as the airport plans to open the first phase of the new Terminal 1 in late summer.
Alaska Airlines, which operates a hub in San Diego, already flies from the city to Fresno, so Southwest's new flight will break that monopoly.
That's great news for flyers who will enjoy more nonstop service (and hopefully lower fares) than without the competition.
All of Southwest's new and expanded flights, as well as its entire schedule, are now available for booking through Nov. 1.
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