Southwest Airlines is making major changes to its network.
The Dallas-based carrier announced Wednesday that it is extending its schedule to June 4, 2025. As part of the extension, the carrier is cutting several routes from its operating base. It is also adding six new flights from Nashville International Airport (BNA).
Cuts through 15 markets in Southwest Atlanta
Starting with the cuts, Southwest will exit 15 markets from its base at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). A spokesperson for the carrier confirmed that the airline will permanently exit the following markets from 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 many of these routes are being cut due to declining booking patterns.
“We continue to optimize our network to meet customer demand, make the best use of our fleet and maximize revenue opportunities. These types of decisions are difficult for our company because of the impact on our people, but we have over 53 years of history to make sure. They Care is taken,” the airline said in a statement.
In conjunction with the cuts, the airline will reduce its presence at ATL from 18 to 11 next year. As such, the airline will not need as many employees at its Atlanta station, but all employees will be offered station transfers, the carrier confirmed to TPG.
Going forward, Southwest will focus on getting demand from Atlanta to other popular Southwest airports, such as Baltimore, Dallas, Denver and Houston, originating and destination.
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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 unveil a detailed plan to cut costs during its investor day on Thursday.
Southwest adds 6 new Nashville routes
It’s not all cut for Southwest, though. The airline is expanding its presence in Nashville with the addition of six new routes.
Beginning April 8, 2025, Southwest will begin flying from BNA:
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Albany, New York
- Jackson, Mississippi
- Memphis
- Providence, Rhode Island
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
Interestingly, this expansion marks the first time Southwest will fly intra-Tennessee service. It’s also the first time Memphis has been served on a major carrier from Nashville since Delta Air Lines exited the market in 2014, according to Sirius data. (Those cuts coincided with Delta decommissioning Memphis, which it originally inherited as part of the Northwest Airlines merger in 2008.)
It will be interesting to see how this 200-mile service works out for Southwest. After all, it’s only a 3 1/2-hour drive between the two cities.
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Four of the six new routes are completely new to Southwest. The airline began flying 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 will launch red-eye flights on five air routes starting in April. Adding red-eye service from Hawaii has been a long time coming for Southwest.
Earlier this year, the carrier After announcing its first red-eye route in the continental US, it expanded its portfolio of overnight flights to include 10 markets.
Beginning April 8, 2025, Southwest will add daily red-eye service to 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 fliers on the West Coast heading to points east.
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