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SUMMER SURPRISES—SOUTHWEST AND AIRTRAN SCHEDULES NOW OPEN FOR SALE THROUGH AUGUST 10, 2012!

Bill
Employee
Employee

Just as the weather’s getting chilly, Southwest is heating things up again by opening up our schedule for next summer—along with a LOT of exciting new service!  We’re now accepting reservations all the way out to August 10, 2012, on both the Southwest network, available at southwest.com, as well as the AirTran network, bookable at airtran.com.  This will give us 271 days of bookable inventory (which translates into roughly 3.8 Kardashian marriages), which is among the widest booking windows we’ve ever offered.  I’ve got lots of details—so let’s dive in!

We’ve got new service to talk about!  On the AirTran side, we’re adding new service between Ft. Lauderdale and San Juan, Puerto Rico, with two daily flights starting May 24, which will help South Floridians “get their mofongo on!”  Of course, this is in addition to our existing AirTran service between San Juan and Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, and Baltimore/Washington.  Then we turn our attention to Mexico, as AirTran will file for authority to fly the following routes: San Antonio to both Cancun and Mexico City beginning May 2012, and Orange County, Calif. to Cabo San Lucas and Mexico City beginning June 2012. Both Mexico City and Cabo San Lucas are brand new destinations for AirTran, and we’ll announce schedules for all the new international service and make them available for purchase at a later date—but what’s cool is that this will be AirTran’s first international service from San Antonio, and it’ll be the first international service EVER planned from Orange County’s brand new international terminal! 

Domestically, we’re adding new AirTran nonstop service between Mile-High Powerhouse Denver and Dayton (one daily roundtrip), Akron/Canton (one daily roundtrip), and New York LaGuardia (two daily roundtrips).  We will also add new seasonal AirTran service between Baltimore/Washington and both Seattle-Tacoma and Los Angeles (two daily roundtrips each), and between Baltimore/Washington and both New Orleans and San Francisco (one daily roundtrip each).  And because we’re now using Southwest’s schedule optimization engine for the AirTran schedule, there are lots of market-level frequency changes, and we’ll continue to “tweak the freqs” (making minor changes to frequencies in nonstop markets) after we open for sale … so stay tuned!

On the Southwest side, we expect Summer ’12 to be a busy one!   Just as we’ve done on the AirTran side, we’ve completely re-optimized the Southwest network for the June-August schedule.  We’re adding seasonal new service between Houston Hobby and Seattle-Tacoma, Kansas City, and Raleigh-Durham (one daily roundtrip in each), all of which are brand new nonstop markets for us, as well new nonstop service between Chicago Midway and Oklahoma City (which has been one of our most frequently asked-for new markets!).  We’re also bringing back seasonal nonstop service between Nashville and Seattle-Tacoma, between St. Louis and San Diego, and between Norfolk and Las Vegas.  In total, we “tweak the freqs” (I’m starting to love that phrase!) in a total of 61 roundtrip markets.  Forty markets see slight increases, 21 see minor decreases, and after everything is tabulated, the Southwest network grows by 36 daily departures for a total of 3,398 Southwest flights each weekday.

Stoke the fires, enjoy the winter, but start dreaming of next summer … then make some plans AND some reservations.  Southwest and AirTran are ready for you!  Have a great week, everyone.

24 Comments
Anonymous1588
Explorer C
So does this mean that the AirTran brand isn't going to disappear as fast as we thought? Seems like if FL is publishing flights for next summer, then the single operating certificate in the spring won't quite be fully utilized??
ian_littman
Explorer C
Is there a PDF somewhere showing all these schedule changes (like there as been in schedule extensions past)? Or, since the window is so huge, such a schedule won't be provided? Interesting to see AirTran starting point-to-point service in a lot of heavy Southwest markets (San Antonio, Orange County, Fort Lauderdale). It's almost as if, by the time those new routes roll around, Southwest will have a codeshare with Airtran so the traffic on those routes won't be strictly O&D...
Anthony3
Explorer C
I can't wait to go to Cabo San Lucas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Barry_Bynum
Explorer C
I am guessing, but it appears to me that Southwest is preparing for code sharing to begin. The addition of the DEN flights and international service all benefit the combined Southwest/Airtran networks. The press release hints that code sharing will be available in the first half of 2012.
mikebarnbaum
Explorer A
Bill: There was a great amount of new service to go through both on the Southwest side as well as the AirTran side. Am I confused or can we now book "codeshare" travel through the Southwest Website where we would receive one confirmation code when all is said and done? For example, based on what I carefully read, I want at some point to travel to Akron/Canton to go visit Kent State University for a business conference. In the article posted to my blog comment, it was stated that, "Domestically, we’re adding new AirTran nonstop service between Mile-High Powerhouse Denver and Akron/Canton (one daily roundtrip)." It appears that based on this, I may be soon able to book a flight from Sacramento to Akron/Canton so long as I change planes in Denver. Is my logic here correct, or for now, am I missing my flight, if I think that I can do this now? Domestically, do you have the ability and the availability to post a PDF or some kind of spreadsheet that lists what nonstop markets have both added and subtracted service? This was a great tool to view, particularly when looking at Sacramento International Airport and what Sacramento was getting in terms of added or lost Southwest Airlines service. Have you been to our new terminal yet? No only did I do a practice walk through on Sunday 2 October 2011, but I flew roundtrip to Portland to see a Sacramento State Hornets Football Game. Unfortunately the trip was ruined when Sacramento State lost 29-20 to the Portland State Vikings. Speaking of college football, I will wait at least until Martin Luther King Day 2012, if not later, to book Southwest flights for 2012 Sacramento State Football. Prior to composing this blog post I sneaked a peek at the Travel Tools Page where I saw that January 16th will be the likely date for extending the schedules until September 28th of next year. Until then, I don't have any specific Southwest Flight plans between the 2nd of June and the 10th of August. Looking at my Sacramento River Cats Baseball Schedule though, my companion and I might take aboard Amtrak for travel between Sacramento and Fresno and/or Sacramento and Reno to take in some ballgames this coming Summer. Thankfully these are market pairs that are non-competitive when looking at Southwest and Amtrak and where one could travel to. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member in Sacramento, California
eric-montz
Explorer B
I'm very confused on the whole Volaris/Southwest codeshare going forward. It seems as though Southwest and Volaris are scrambling to see who can get cross-border flights going the fastest. I know Southwest needs the intra-mexico flights of Volaris, but is there a disagreement on the cross-border flights? Last I heard, Southwest's response was "We don't know what their plans are." But now with Southwest adding AirTran flights crossing the border, and assuming they will be transferred to Southwest once the reservation system is complete, it seems as though there is going to be some fighting on the cross-border flights.
swafan08
Explorer A
why isn't swa competing more with the ''united airlines'' hub at Dulles airport??
Megan_Meade
Explorer C
Did you take away the nonstop flights from Chicago Midway to Long Island Islip starting in June and replace them with ridiculously long flights (that stop in Florida?) for a crazy amount of money? I am just really hoping the website is messed up right now.
June_Giles
Explorer C
Will Southwest Airlines be going to Memphis, TN soon?
Shari_Mitchell
Explorer C
I am incredibly disappointed AirTran is stopping service in Bloomington, IL (BMI)!!! I am an A+ Rewards Elite member, and frequently utilize Airtran's convenient service from this location. My loyalty to this company was a waste! I find it hard to believe this isn't a profitable market. I can't remember the last time I flew and it wasn't a full flight.
Darrin
Explorer C
Sigh. Was really hoping to hear SWA/AirTran adding flights from Memphis... with some of the highest ticket prices in the US, and TERRBILE (and getting worse) service going westward, flights to Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Diego, etcetera would be welcome here! Congratulations on growing your business though!
pat_aurora
Explorer C
we travel from manchester nh to TPA monthly and hear that service at MHT is going to be cut in 2012. This news from an employess at SWA. Can someone let us know is this true?
Lucy_Anzaldua
Explorer C
Will they be hiring for flight attendants, and when? Also, will they develop a different way to hire flight attendants other than the way it as done last? Seemed like the system was overloaded, I actually got on at least 10 times but the system would boot me off. I am very interested in applying...:)
Tom_Bougher
Explorer C
Are you guys flying into Branson, MO?
Bob_Bee
Explorer C
Poor MKE. I will miss the MKE-TPA non stop(s). With FL pulling out many flights, once to be "little ORD" is turning into "little ATW".
Jason_Lee
Explorer C
Pitty that other routes are being quietly dropped. Tried to book travel from Portland, OR to Jackson, MS or Birmingham, AL in May and was told these connections would no longer be offered.
bernice_snyder
Explorer C
why can't southwest add flights from memphis to long island islip? swa has a major presence there and memphis has almost no flights to ny
Linda_Haynie
Explorer C
When will the new Des Moines - Chicago service start?
Robert_Ranger
Explorer C
When will Southwest flights be available from Flint and/or Grand Rapids MI. Have been waiting for years to make Southwest primary airline. Detest going to Detroit. Hope one or both of those locations open soon. Robert
Mike_Bellavia
Explorer C
When is SWA going to start taking over the Pensacola service from Air Tran? I'm heading down to flight school this summer and all of us are looking for a good way to get our girlfriends to visit and right now, the closest you guys fly is a 2 hour drive to Panama City. Any thoughts?
Leah_Harry
Explorer C
With the start of the new service out of Dayton, I would really like southwest to consider nonstop service between Dayton and omaha 🙂 do you know if they are considering that or when they will add additional nonstop service aside fron denver? Dayton to Omaha would make me very happy. Leah
renee_savino
Explorer C
Will there b any direct flights from Chicago to Rochester, NY on either airline??
Amy12
Explorer C
When will SWA begin flying out of Richmond, VA? Do you know the routes yet?
Westcoastbound
Explorer C
So what happened to Southwest taking over the Airtran space in Charlotte, NC. Last I heard it would be August 12, 2012. Any updates?