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August – October Schedule Announced—See the Changes Now!

Bill
Employee
Employee

Today we’re making Southwest’s schedule from August 8 through October 30—WOOT!  This is the time of year in which we transition from the uber-busy summer travel season to the back-to-school, take-a-breather time just before and after Labor Day.  But that doesn’t mean it’s going to be quiet.  Seriously, these days—when is it quiet?  Answer:  NEVER! As we go into the August-October period, you’ll notice a few changes, including:
  • Three new nonstop markets:  Boston-Columbus (twice daily) and Columbus-Oakland (once daily), plus we’ll add two daily nonstop roundtrips between Orange County and Portland, OR, complementing our new Orange County-Seattle/Tacoma service , which begins on June 28.  (Hi, Orange County.  We LUV you!)
  • The swapping our daily Washington/Reagan National to Ft. Myers nonstop for a Washington/Reagan National to Ft. Lauderdale nonstop.  This one’s kind of interesting (for the geeks out there!)—the operating slot we’re using for the DCA-RSW nonstop is restricted, and can only be used for a nonstop from DCA to one of three airports:  Ft. Myers, West Palm Beach, or Ft. Lauderdale.  We’re making the switch because Ft. Lauderdale is a larger market, and also because it offers more connecting opportunities.
  • The end of a number of seasonal, summer-oriented markets—26 of them, in fact, and four more markets will go from daily in the summer to Saturday-only in August-October.  They’re listed in this summary, and we expect them all to make a triumphant return later!  And besides the Washington-Ft. Myers market, these are the only nonstop markets being discontinued for this schedule.
  • Adjusted frequency levels to match traffic with demand for this quieter (well...kind of!) time of year.  Of the roughly 600 roundtrip nonstop markets we serve, we’ll adjust frequency levels in 150 of them (23 increases, and 127 decreases).  This is typical going from summer into August!  On weekdays we’ll still offer at least 3,600 departures.
The next schedule extension—the November/December one, which is the most complex of the entire year!—is planned to be released on May 14.  In the meantime, be on the lookout for schedule changes, and I will try to walk everyone through them as they are released.  As always, if you have questions just post a comment and I’ll try to answer.  Have a fantastic weekend everyone!
9 Comments
soccerwiz13
Explorer C
There is no summary posted as mentioned on the 3rd bullet point.
dfwtower
Explorer C
Very impressive the new routes and service from DAL with the fall of the Wright Amendment. Glad to see lower fares from Southwest and the big gorilla over at DFW in response on many of these routes...
denno
Adventurer B
Hi Bill; I enjoy reading your new schedule summaries, but when you say, "They’re listed in the summary below," there needs to be a link to be able to see "the summary below." Thanks much
millie-richter-
Frequent Flyer C
Sorry about that Bobby ... it's now included in the article!
rklcoyne
Explorer C
The Southwest press release states new nonstops between Columbus and Boston but Bill's blog states Akron/Canton and Boston
millie-richter-
Frequent Flyer C
Thanks Ron ... I checked with Bill and it is indeed Columbus and not Akron/Canton. I have corrected the copy above. Happy travels!
stevexc500
Explorer B
Hey Bill...just wanted to say THANK YOU for having some flights to Tampa out of MSP this month. Flew down last Saturday and came back today. Both flights PACKED FULL!!! Please add more! I think the LUV is spreading here in MSP.
kmillsy
Explorer C
What time of day does Southwest release their inventory? I believe you open up more inventory on May 14th....any particular time? have a big trip to book for lots of people and don't want to miss it!
Bill
Employee
Employee
Hey Kathy. We usually move the "open for sale" date at about 10am Central time. That's the plan, anyway!!! Good luck and happy travels!!!! Bill