As many travelers know, Southwest Airlines’ hospitable, customer-friendly image has been tarnished as of late. From mass cancelations to pilot shortages, Southwest has been through a rough patch recently, and they are still working out the kinks. However, that doesn’t appear to stop them from continuing to grow. The popular Dallas-based carrier just announced they are adding 21 routes spread across the U.S. this year.
Major Oops!
During the most recent holiday season, Southwest admittedly made a lot of mistakes in mishandling plans to deal with horrendous storms, staff shortages, and an outdated system. They had a complete meltdown leaving passengers stranded during the busiest time of the year for travel. Thousands upon thousands of flights were canceled at the end of December and trickled into January as well. Their reputation in terms of reliability remains in question for many travelers.
After multiple remarks made by Southwest CEO, Bob Jordan, owning their shortcomings and promising to make things right, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear how affected travelers are not willing to trust the airline anymore. To their credit, it does seem they are putting in the effort.
One report claimed that Southwest reimbursed a pair of stranded travelers who saw no better option than to buy a used car to get home!
Mixed reviews are pouring in as some are even saying Southwest is in ‘damage control’ mode now while trying to gain passengers’ trust again. After all, the estimated impact on Southwest is a whopping $825 million! As refunds are still in the process of being distributed, affected travelers’ patience is wearing thin.
To those who are willing to give Southwest a chance, the airline is adding 5 brand new routes along with 16 more that were previously canceled. Travelers can now book directly on Southwest’s official website through October 4, 2023.
More Flight Options From Long Beach
Flying out of Long Beach is the biggest change made to these new additions. The LGB airport is approximately 25 miles outside of the city limits of Los Angeles. By making Long Beach a hub for Southwest loyalists, it will provide an easily accessible option to avoid the chaos of Los Angeles and the stress of LAX. Many Southwesters choose to fly out of nearby Burbank, but Long Beach should now be considered too.
Southwest added 3 new nonstop routes from LGB:
From July 11th onward-
- Daily flights to Colorado Springs
- Daily flights to El Paso
From September 5th onward-
- Daily flights Albuquerque, New Mexico
Southwest had already announced 2 more routes from LGB:
- Daily flights to Kansas City beginning March 9th
- Seasonal weekend flights to Orlando beginning July 15th
Reinstating Nonstop Routes
Southwest will be reinstating routes that were previously canceled. Travelers across the country, from Los Angeles to Charlotte, will have more options to choose from.
From September 5th onward-
- Daily flights from Baltimore to Oakland
- Daily flights from Denver to Richmond
From September 7th onward-
- Flights 4 days per week from Houston (Hobby) to Raleigh
From September 9th onward-
- Weekend flights from Dallas (Love) to Philadelphia
- Saturday flights from Las Vegas to Minneapolis
- Weekend flights from Los Angeles to Portland (Oregon)
From September 10th onward-
- Sunday flights from Austin to Pittsburgh
- Sunday flights from Charlotte to Houston (Hobby)
- Round-trip Sunday flights from Houston (Hobby) to Lubbock
- Sunday flights from Houston (Hobby) to Ontario
- Sunday flights from Houston (Hobby) to Philadelphia
- Sunday flights from Houston (Bush) to Phoenix
- Sunday flights from Las Vegas to Little Rock
- Sunday flights from Long Beach to New Orleans
- Sunday flights from Nashville to Islip/Long Island
- Sunday flights from Nashville to Omaha
Other Brand New Nonstop Seasonal Routes
In addition to these new routes from Long Beach and other reinstated routes, Southwest has announced two more seasonal routes from the Lone Star State to the Sunshine State.
Both of these routes are available to book now for September 9th and beyond.
- Saturday flights from Austin to Jacksonville
- Saturday flights from El Paso to Orlando
