Southwest Cancels 17 Routes From Its 5 Busiest Airports: See Where Now

Published Jul 30, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT James lives and breathes route development. Educated in Air Transport Management at Loughborough University and Cranfield University, James has a PhD in airline strategy. James was Market Opportunity Analyst at London Luton Airport and Chief Analyst at anna.aero. He taught airline strategy and economics to undergraduate and postgraduate students for five years and has worked closely with multiple carriers on route and market intelligence projects. He is based near London, UK. August is nearly here. In that peak summer month, Southwest Airlines plans an average of 3,817 daily movements. The hybrid operator's offering has jumped by 1% compared to last August. This modest growth is from the vast domestic market (+2%) rather than international (-5%). The carrier's five busiest airports for flights are Denver International Airport (DEN), Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), serving Las Vegas, Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), and Nashville International Airport (BNA). Over half of Southwest's services touch them (52%). Southwest No Longer Serves These 17 Routes This article is based on Southwest's schedule for August 2025 and compares that to what's available in August 2026. This process identified that the following airport pairs have been removed, some last year and some much more recently. An airline revolves around its network, and everything feeds off it. As such, examining how it has changed in a specified period is commonplace. Several of the eliminated markets relate to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). Southwest ceased serving them in June 2026 to consolidate at MDW and BWI. As such, some may say that it is unfair to include them. Nonetheless, they are no longer served year-over-year, which is the only criterion. Five of the 17 links are due to return later this year, identified by an * in the following table. They are included below because they all had Southwest flights in August 2025 but will not do so next month. For example, the airline had five weekly departures from MDW to Tucson in the peak summer month last year. Having operated until June 2026, flights will resume in October, when it's a bit cooler in Arizona. Airport Southwest Has Removed These Routes: Served Last August But Not In August 2026 DEN Charlotte (last served in April 2026)*, Greenville/Spartanburg (August 2025), IAD (June 2026), ORD (June 2026) LAS Albany (last served in March 2026)*, Minneapolis (April 2026), ORD (June 2026), Rochester, New York (March 2026)* MDW Montego Bay (last served in July 2026)*, Tucson (June 2026)* BWI Colorado Springs (last served in January 2026), Jackson Evers International Airport (JAN; March 2026), Long Beach (January 2026), ORD (November 2025) BNA Orange County (last served in January 2026), ORD (June 2026), Portland, Oregon (August 2025) * Due to return later this year, even if only with a few nonstop flights, like DEN to Charlotte Simple Flying Quiz Think you really know Southwest Airlines? Answer 10 questions and put your knowledge to the test Simple Flying Quiz Think you really know Southwest Airlines? Answer 10 questions and put your knowledge to the test Southwest Between BWI & JAN Credit: Shutterstock JAN serves Jackson, which is the capital and most populous city in Mississippi. Southwest operated from BWI to JAN from 1997 (when the airline arrived in Mississippi) until 2013. In this period, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) shows that the carrier transported 1,707,080 round-trip passengers but filled a dismal 59.8% of the seats. Up to two daily departures were available, which partly explains the very poor load. It is perhaps surprising that the airport pair, which covered 772 nautical miles (1,430 km) each way, lasted for so long. However, action was eventually taken, as the route's frequency was reduced to a daily offering, before being removed entirely. Southwest pulled out of JAN in 2014, when the remaining links (Houston Hobby, MDW, and Orlando) obviously ended. Southwest returned to JAN in 2021, with the first four routes including BWI. Unlike the prior attempt, the frequency varied from as few as five weekly services up to a daily offering, nearly always on the 137-seat Boeing 737-700. Despite these things, the DOT shows that the load factor had barely changed. Between 2021 and 2025, just 61.8% of seats were filled, with only 54.6% achieved in 2025. Only a quarter of passengers connected elsewhere, which did not help. Unsurprisingly, the route has ended again. Yes, But 19 Routes Have Been Added... Credit: Shutterstock Recall that this article is based on examining routes available from Southwest's five busiest airports in August 2025 and compares the networks to what is offered in August 2026. While 17 routes were removed year-over-year, 19 airport pairs have been introduced. The most notable launches involved Anchorage International Airport (ANC), which is a brand-new destination on Southwest's map. The airline began flying there from DEN and LAS in May 2026. It is not entirely this straightforward. The 19 additions include some markets (such as BWI to Oklahoma City and Pensacola and DEN to Destin-Fort Walton Beach) that had a Saturday-only offering from June through early August 2026. As Southwest's schedule is only available through to April 2027, it is not clear if these links will return.