en.Wedoany.com Reported - Southwest Airlines is adding nine new routes to its network, some of which are being reinstated. These route announcements were disclosed by Enilria on the X platform. Some of these routes currently have no service, while others have never been served before. This comes shortly after BermudAir added 14 unusual new routes to the United States.

Southwest is undergoing a major transformation, which its CEO describes as a hybrid carrier. The latest route announcements come as Southwest launched 20 routes in early June, with seven starting on June 4 and 13 on June 6. These routes include the airline's new longest nonstop flight within the contiguous 48 states.

Eight domestic routes will launch on February 13, 2027. The specific routes include: Buffalo to Miami International Airport (MIA), Columbus to San Juan (considered a domestic route), Rochester to Fort Lauderdale (briefly operated by Southwest in 2020), Indianapolis to West Palm Beach (PBI), Manchester to Fort Myers, Portland (Maine) to Fort Myers, Providence to Sarasota (very briefly operated by Southwest in 2023), and Pittsburgh to PBI (operated by Southwest from 2013 to 2018). Consistent with current trends in many leisure markets, these flights are primarily scheduled on Saturdays.

According to Cirium Diio data, four of these eight markets are currently served only by Breeze Airways. Meanwhile, American Airlines operates seasonal service on the MIA-Buffalo route, which will resume in November. Allegiant Air operates seasonal service on the Rochester-Fort Lauderdale route, with flights resuming in October. Two markets currently have no nonstop flights and no scheduled future flights by other airlines, including Columbus to San Juan and Indianapolis to PBI (Allegiant operated until 2025). The Columbus to San Juan route to Puerto Rico is particularly notable as it has never been served before.

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) data shows that 53,000 indirect passengers traveled between Columbus and San Juan last year, with most connecting through Orlando, Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, and Fort Lauderdale. Columbus is the ninth largest unserved domestic origin market for San Juan.

On the international front, Southwest will launch service from Nashville International Airport (BNA) to Liberia, Costa Rica. Liberia is the gateway to Costa Rica's Pacific coast, offering numerous beaches, activities, and wildlife. Starting February 13, the route will operate weekly using the 175-seat Boeing 737 MAX 8. This 1,529 nautical mile (2,832 km) route has never been served before. Last year, 11,000 passengers flew indirectly, making it the fifth largest unserved market from the U.S. to Liberia. BNA is Southwest's seventh busiest airport by flight volume and plays a significant role in passenger connections. DOT data shows that the airline had 5.5 million passengers connecting at BNA last year.

Southwest has been flying to Liberia since 2015, fueling rapid growth in nonstop capacity from the U.S. to this Costa Rican leisure destination. Cirium data shows that, including all airlines, two-way seat capacity will reach 1.9 million in 2026, a 5% increase over the previous record held last year.

Southwest currently plans to operate 71 international nonstop routes between June 2026 and January 2027 (the farthest extent of the airline's current schedule on Cirium). These routes involve 22 U.S. airports, including Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, BNA, Chicago Midway, Columbus, Denver, Houston Hobby, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Oakland, Orange County, Orlando, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, San Diego, St. Louis, Sacramento, and Tampa, serving 14 international destinations.

From now through January, 10,070 flights are scheduled, a 1% decrease compared to available flights from June 2025 to January 2026. In contrast, Southwest's domestic service during the same period is down 7%, with 11.1 million fewer domestic seats available.

This article is compiled by Wedoany. All AI citations must indicate the source as "Wedoany". If there is any infringement or other issues, please notify us promptly, and we will modify or delete it accordingly. Email: news@wedoany.com