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MARCH 2015 BASE SCHEDULE AVAILABLE!

Bill
Employee
Employee
Happy Monday!  Got a Spring Break trip you (or your friends or family) have been wanting to plan?  We’ve now got you covered—Southwest’s schedule is now available for reservations out through April 6, 2015. The schedule is, as usual, fully reoptimized based on expected weather-related, block time variations and includes lots of capacity changes to handle the SBS (“Spring Break Surge”), but it also adheres to the ontime performance-related changes we’ve been implementing over the past several months.  Here are the details: This schedule contains almost ten percent more weekday departures compared to January 2015—so March vacationers, we have got you COVERED.  Over 3,700 weekday departures are planned for the March base schedule—once again, more than any other single airline, not just in America, but in the world.  And the vast majority of the market frequency changes are plus side, which you would expect transitioning from January/February to March.  In fact, out of over 1,200 nonstop markets served, we’re increasing service in 320 of them.  No permanent new nonstop markets are included in this schedule extension, although a couple of interesting new seasonal markets are included—Dallas/Love to Panama City on Saturdays, as well as first-ever New Orleans-San Antonio service.  You’ll notice that many of the new nonstop market additions only operate on Saturdays.  We all know traffic patterns are different on the weekends than they are during the week, and we’re taking greater advantage of our ability to react to it! Four nonstop markets will be permanently eliminated.  Nonstop service between Albuquerque and Seattle/Tacoma will end, after nearly 16 years of operation.  Of course, we will continue to offer many options to Seattle/Tacoma via Denver, Las Vegas, and other connection points.  We will also eliminate nonstop service between Atlanta and three airports:  San Juan, Aruba, and Montego Bay.  Those three Caribbean markets will keep other nonstop service to the U.S. Mainland, so connectivity to the rest of the Southwest network should be the same, as we focus on fine-tuning an Atlanta schedule that serves both our local and connecting Customers. Where are you jetting off this Spring Break?  Let us know by commenting below.
12 Comments
stevexc500
Explorer B
Planning on MSP-TPA! Thanks for adding Saturday flights!
tara_n_nicholas
Explorer C
Looking forward to booking our family trip to Cancun in June, 2015. When do you expect the schedule to open for June 2015 bookings?
michael_mcmenus
Explorer C
When did you change the release date? Travel tool on southwest has said march 7 through June would be released around October 1. This is a much faster release than usual and a shorter period. Is southwest changing release pattern? I only missed by a few hours and all tickets I want are gone. Don't mind having to be online at a certain time but don't like having that time changed.
michael_mcmenus
Explorer C
You seem to have cut back travel to SJU.
stevexc500
Explorer B
Michael, I have encountered a similar issue seeing sold out on the Wanna Get Away fare only 1-2 days since the flights even became available. I too am looking for some insight.
Bill
Employee
Employee
Michael, not sure how you and SWA got on different pages about the March opening date. I can't go back and look to see how southwest.com read on a past date, but I looked at the date that was sent within the Company advising of upcoming schedule openings, and March has been planned to open on August 25th since July 22nd at the latest. SJU stayed at the same departure count in March vs. January/February, with the only significant change being elimination of SJU-Atlanta nonstop which was offset by adding a 4th SJU-Orlando flight. Hope this helps!!
Bill
Employee
Employee
Steve, the question you're asking would be one for our Revenue Management folks to answer. Apologies! Bill
stevexc500
Explorer B
Would love to have some sort of answer, if possible, Bill. Thanks for the reply.
alex_joyce
Explorer C
Bill, I can't believe the direct connections to SLC from Portland were cut. What was the rationale? I fly those legs all the time and they aren't empty. Been a dedicated SWA flyer for years but might have to reconsider my loyalties if I can't get directly from here to there. Bummed. Alex
mikebarnbaum
Explorer A
Hi Bill: Long time, no speak!! Thank you for opening the schedule to early April. While I do not have any Southwest Airlines Travel planned for this particular schedule, your opening of the schedule now tells me on the Travel Tools page that you will be opening through early June during the last week of October. This is important to me as I have to travel round trip from Sacramento to Newark shortly after Memorial Day 2015 to just before the proposed June date listed in the Travel Tools Statement. Based on what I have read in your post, I fully understand that much of the behind the scenes work will involve Atlanta as we wait to see what comes from the October 27th Schedule Opening. I hope there will be some markets that folks like me in Sacramento can get an opportunity soon to fly nonstop to, like Boise, Salt Lake City, Spokane, Albuquerque, and perhaps Tucson. It seemed odd to me, as I was looking up schedules for a co-worker recently that when it comes to SMF-SLC service, a passenger, in some, but not all occasions, might have to change planes at Denver. That seems like back tracking to me and a bit unheard of. This might have been something Southwest likes to do, and I am just unaware of it. Hope you have a great Labor Day Holiday Weekend, and we will see you all on board my next Southwest flight, which will take me from Sacramento to Denver at 1:05pm on October 10th. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum of Sacramento, California Southwest Airlines Blogger and Rapid Rewards Member
Bill
Employee
Employee
Steve, apologies--please see response below to Michael below (dated 8/29). I fully intended to include both of your names on the response! Let me know if you have further questions. Bill
stevexc500
Explorer B
Bill - Thanks again for the reply. I believe I actually have an answer now. We are continuing to watch fares on MSP-TPA 3/7-3/14! Great add to the schedule for us! Steve