Southwest Launches This New 6-Hour Florida Route In 1 Week: See Map Now

Published Nov 12, 2026, 2:52 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. The world's largest operator of the Boeing 737 family of aircraft, Southwest Airlines, continues to expand its US network, adding nonstop service from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to San Diego (SAN) starting November 21. The hybrid airline will operate the city pair seasonally from November 21 through January 3. Southwest's entry on this route will operate alongside another newcomer, JetBlue, which plans to fly the route from November 19. The only other airline operating between the two cities is Alaska Airlines, which has operated the route consistently since 2020. Southwest Airlines Becomes The Third Operator Between Fort Lauderdale And San Diego Credit: marchello74 | Shutterstock Starting on November 21, Southwest will become the third operator to fly between South Florida and San Diego. With Southwest joining JetBlue and Alaska, it marks the first time that three airlines have all operated the route at the same time. Until 2016, there was no airline that had flown between Fort Lauderdale and San Diego, when JetBlue initially debuted on the route and operated the service up until January 2025. The route was then axed, but will return on a seasonal basis this winter. Loading map… Drag to explore Southwest will operate the route through early January. The service will begin as a three-weekly service, increasing to five weekly flights and then to daily by Christmas. The full schedule for the new seasonal service is as follows: Flight Number Dep. Airport Dep. Time Arr. Airport Arr. Time Duration Aircraft WN2843 Fort Lauderdale (FLL) 10:50 AM San Diego (SAN) 1:25 PM 6h 35m Boeing 737 MAX 8 WN3056 San Diego (SAN) 9:25 AM Fort Lauderdale (FLL) 5:10 PM 5h 45m Boeing 737 MAX 8 A Short Southwest Seasonal Service To San Diego Credit: Jomica8 | Shutterstock Southwest has added the route between Fort Lauderdale and San Diego as part of its winter schedule to capture seasonal travel demand. This backfills capacity shifts for travel to South Florida, with the ultimate demise of Spirit Airlines (despite them not operating the route to San Diego). This sees Southwest look for niche point-to-point additions on transcontinental markets. The schedule aligns with the current peak winter holiday demand and will operate in a travel window that can capture travelers across the Christmas break. Passengers onboard will enjoy the airline's MAX 8 aircraft, operating a daytime service in each direction. San Diego remains a key facility for Southwest, with the airport remaining in the airline's top ten when analyzing Cirium data. Fort Lauderdale is another key market for the airline, with popular markets including Baltimore (BWI), Nashville (BNA), Chicago Midway (MDW), and St. Louis (STL). Southwest Joins Alaska And JetBlue To San Diego Credit: spencer Hart | Shutterstock With competition on the route to San Diego heating up, travelers will have the choice of three airlines to fly between the two cities. Alaska Airlines, which operates the route seasonally, will see competition from two other major US carriers across the winter. Alaska operates the Boeing 737 on the route, while JetBlue will deploy the Airbus A321 daily from November 19. San Diego International Airport is one of the busiest airports in Southern California and is located just three miles (4.8 kilometers) from the city's downtown core. The airport remains a hub for Alaska Airlines, which, according to the Frequent Flyer, is the largest operator at the airport with 30.1% of all flights (9.4 million annual passengers). Southwest is the second largest operator at San Diego, with 22.6% of all flights (8.6 million passengers). Southwest also plans to add a number of other domestic routes from San Diego, with Kailua (KOA) and Lihue (LIH) both resuming on March 13, and Oklahoma City on June 6. Alaska Airlines will add seasonal nonstop flights to Loreto (LTO) from December 19.