Southwest Airlines Launches 5 New Nonstop Routes: See Full List Now

Published Nov 2, 2026, 1:29 PM EST Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America. Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector. He is based in Canterbury, New Zealand. His work has been published in Simple Flying and featured by MSN, SAM CHUI Aviation & Travel, EIN News, Pakistan Defence, and Climate Depot. One of the largest carriers in the United States, Southwest Airlines, will add five new routes to its domestic network in the new year, with the airline adding services from Nashville, Austin, and Houston starting in January. Southwest, which is one of the largest airlines in the world by fleet size and passengers carried, has shown no signs of slowing down as it continues to develop its Nashville International Airport (BNA) hub. According to Enrilia, Southwest will add nonstop routes between January and March while expanding its network throughout the domestic US market. Southwest Airlines Continues To Expand Its Network From Nashville Credit: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock Southwest has been investing heavily in Nashville, fueling a rapid expansion of its operating network from the city. This comes as the airline taps into the growing business and leisure market from the city. Beginning on January 6, the airline will add services from Nashville to Des Moines International Airport (DSM) and Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT), which are planned to operate year-round. These services will operate nonstop and complement the existing 72 year-round services and 18 seasonal routes. Loading map… Drag to explore Data from The Frequent Flyer suggests that Southwest is the largest airline at Nashville, operating more than 56% of all scheduled flights at the airport between June 2025 and May 2026. American Airlines is the second-largest operator, with 12.9% of all flights, and Delta Air Lines is at 11.5%. Details of Southwest's new Nashville services are below: Origin Destination Frequency Start Date Competition Nashville (BNA) Des Moines (DSM) 1x Daily January 6, 2027 Allegiant Nashville (BNA) Wichita (ICT) 5x Weekly January 6, 2027 No other airline operating the route Austin Gains Two New Southwest Airlines Destinations Credit: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock At Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Southwest will add a new link to Fort Myers (RSW), with the new flight operating seasonally from March. The flight will operate once weekly on Saturdays, providing a new way to travel to the popular Florida holiday destination. Southwest will become the second airline to operate on the city pair, with Delta also introducing seasonal flights to Fort Myers from this November. Southwest will also add Palm Springs (PSP) back to its seasonal network from Austin, with the airline operating the route daily in 2027 using its Boeing 737 aircraft. The airline had operated the route in a limited capacity for a brief period; however, it will reintroduce the service on January 2. Origin Destination Frequency Start Date Competition Austin (AUS) Fort Myers (RSW) 2x Weekly January 9, 2027 Delta Austin (AUS) Palm Springs (PSP) 5x Weekly January 2, 2027 Delta Both Southwest and Delta are responding to demand in Austin as the city has become one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. Many large tech companies have set up offices in the city, including Tesla, Google, and Amazon. This has fueled high-end business and leisure demand. The local airport is also going through a multi-billion-dollar expansion and upgrade program. Southwest Will Fly Amarillo To Houston On January 15 Credit: Wangkun Jia | Shutterstock Southwest's final new route in this analysis is its latest addition between Houston Hobby Airport (HOU) and Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport (AMA). The route will begin on January 15 and initially operate daily. The service will face no direct competition; however, United Airlines does fly between Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Amarillo. Origin Destination Frequency Start Date Competition Houston (HOU) Amarillo (AMA) 1x Daily January 15, 2027 United (from IAH) For the first quarter of 2027, Southwest is adding a number of exciting new routes, providing more choice for its travelers across the airline network.