Southwest Airlines Is Adding More Flights: Where Is The Airline Flying Now?

As Southwest Airlines (LUV) reported a net loss of $1.2 billion for the third quarter of 2020, the airline also announced that it would be adding some new routes to its flight schedule.

Southwest said it will now be flying to Colorado Springs Municipal Airport in Colorado, Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Georgia, and returning to Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport in Mississippi, beginning in the first half of 2021.

The new airport destinations add to Southwest’s recent service announcement to Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport in the first half of 2021. The airline will also begin service to Miami International Airport and Palm Springs International Airport on Nov. 15 and seasonal service to Montrose Regional Airport and Yampa Valley Regional Airport in Colorado, starting on Dec. 19.

“We are leveraging additional airports in cornerstone cities where our customer base is large, along with adding easier access to popular leisure-oriented destinations from across our domestic-focused network,” Gary C. Kelly, chairman of the Board and CEO at Southwest, said in a statement.

The airline industry took a major hit during the coronavirus pandemic, and travelers shifted away from flying during stay-at-home orders.

Kelly acknowledged the pandemic by saying, “We entered this crisis with the U.S. airline industry's strongest balance sheet and most successful business model. These additional service points on our map are low-risk opportunities we can provide customers now, all the while better positioning Southwest as travel demand rebounds.”

Kelly also said the airline was “encouraged by modest improvements in leisure passenger traffic trends since the slowdown in demand experienced in July. However, until we have widely-available vaccines and achieve herd immunity, we expect passenger traffic and booking trends to remain fragile. In response, we will continue to monitor demand and prudently adjust our available seat miles (ASMs, or capacity), while pursuing further revenue and cost opportunities.”

The airline has decreased its operating costs by 33.5% year-over-year to $3.2 billion in Q3 2020. The company also reported that it had operating revenue of $1.8 billion, down 68.2% year-over-year with a liquidity of $15.6 billion in excess of outstanding debt. Net loss per diluted share was $1.96 for the quarter.

Shares of Southwest were trading at $41.12 as of 10:20 a.m. EDT, up $1.28 or 3.21%.