Southwest Airlines is making major changes to its network.
The Dallas-based carrier announced Wednesday that it is extending its schedule through June 4, 2025. As part of the extension, the carrier is cutting a slew of routes from one of its operating bases. It’s also adding six new flights from Nashville International Airport (BNA).
Southwest cuts 15 Atlanta markets
Starting with the cuts, Southwest will exit a whopping 15 markets from its base at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). A carrier spokesperson confirmed that the airline will permanently exit the following markets effective April 2025:
- Cleveland
- Fort Lauderdale
- Fort Myers, Florida
- Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina
- Jackson, Mississippi
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Louisville, Kentucky
- Memphis
- Miami
- Milwaukee
- Oklahoma City
- Omaha
- Philadelphia
- Richmond, Virginia
- Sarasota, Florida
The airline also filed plans to temporarily suspend Atlanta-to-Cancun, Mexico, service, but that route will return in the near future, Southwest told TPG.
Southwest says that these routes are being cut due to reduced booking patterns on many of these routes.
“We continue to optimize our network to meet Customer demand, best utilize our fleet, and maximize revenue opportunities. Decisions like these are difficult for our Company because of the effects on our People, but we have a history of more than 53 years of ensuring they are taken care of,” the airline said in a statement.
In tandem with the cuts, the airline will reduce its presence at ATL from 18 to 11 gates next year. As such, the airline won’t need as many employees at its Atlanta station, but all employees will be offered to transfer stations, the carrier confirmed to TPG.
Going forward, Southwest will be focused on capturing origin and destination demand from Atlanta to other popular Southwest airports, such as ones in Baltimore, Dallas, Denver and Houston.
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All these changes come as the airline struggles to return to profitability amid repeated pressure from activist investor Elliott Investment Management.
Southwest is expected to announce a detailed plan to cut costs during its investor day on Thursday.
Southwest adds 6 new Nashville routes
It’s not all cuts for Southwest, though. The airline is boosting its presence in Nashville with the addition of six new routes.
Beginning April 8, 2025, Southwest will start flying from BNA to:
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Albany, New York
- Jackson, Mississippi
- Memphis
- Providence, Rhode Island
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
Interestingly, this expansion marks the first time that Southwest will fly intra-Tennessee service. It’s also the first time that Memphis has been served from Nashville on a major carrier since Delta Air Lines pulled out of the market in 2014, according to Cirium data. (That cut happened in tandem with Delta dehubbing Memphis, a base that was originally inherited as part of the Northwest Airlines merger in 2008.)
It’ll be interesting to see how this 200-mile service works out for Southwest. After all, it’s just a 3 1/2-hour drive between the two cities.
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Four of the six new routes are entirely new for Southwest. The airline used to fly between Nashville and Albuquerque in 1988 and from Nashville to Providence in 2011.
The announcement comes on the heels of the carrier opening its newest flight crew base in Nashville on May 1. In total, Southwest plans an all-time-high number of Sunday departures next April and May.
More red-eye flights
In addition to the new routes, Southwest announced that it’ll debut red-eye flights on five Hawaii routes beginning in April. Adding red-eye service from Hawaii has been a long time coming for Southwest.
Earlier this year, the carrier announced its first red-eye routes in the continental U.S. It then expanded its portfolio of overnight flights to include 10 markets.
Beginning April 8, 2025, Southwest will add daily red-eye service in the following markets:
- Honolulu to Las Vegas
- Honolulu to Phoenix
- Kona, Hawaii, to Las Vegas
- Kahului/Maui, Hawaii, to Las Vegas
- Kahului/Maui to Phoenix
Adding overnight flights from Hawaii will allow the airline to offer more connecting itineraries for flyers heading to points east of the West Coast.
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