Southwest has published its full summer schedule for 2022, allowing passengers to book flights through 5th September. The announcement brings about three new routes and a host of resumptions from major hubs. The schedule reflects Southwest’s plan to focus on restoring its pre-COVID network over expanding to new cities.
Ready to go
In a statement today, Southwest announced its summer 2022 network, bringing a host of new and restarted routes with it. The publication of the schedule allows passengers to book tickets through 5th September on all Southwest routes and snag the best prices well in advance.
The airline plans to start three new routes next June: Nashville-Portland, Denver-Eugene, and Austin to Cozumel, Mexico. The latter is subject to government approval, and all three services will kick off on 11th June, COVID permitting.
However, the emphasis next summer is on bringing back key international leisure and domestic sectors that were suspended during the pandemic.
Back in action
Southwest plans on resuming six international routes in June 2022, these are:
- Orlando – Aruba, daily service
- Austin – Puerto Vallarta, 1x weekly
- Baltimore/Washington (BWI) – Grand Cayman, 1x weekly
- Milwaukee – Cancun, 1x weekly
- Denver – Cozumel, 1x weekly
- Chicago (Midway) – Montego Bay, daily service
All the once-weekly services will operate on Saturdays starting 11th June, while Orland-Aruba will kick off on 5th June. Additionally, Southwest is bumping the following two services from once weekly to daily flights: Austin – Cabo San Lucas and San Antonio – Cancun.
However, it’s not only international flights that are feeling the love. Southwest has also announced six domestic resumptions. These will be out of three airports:
- Denver to Amarillo (Sunday-Friday), Lubbock (daily), and Midland/Odessa (Sun-Fri)
- Chicago (Midway) to Rochester (Sun-Fri) and Tulsa (daily)
- Houston (Hobby) to Louisville (Sun-Fri).
As expected, Southwest is targeting leisure travelers will its new routes and resumptions. The carrier’s generous baggage policy (two checked bags) and no-fee changes mean travelers looking for a packed summer can book early.
Given the carrier’s 737-only fleet, it only touches a few major leisure countries near the United States, leaving out the long-haul options. However, the airline has successfully filled flights for years now and will likely do so again if the circumstances allow.
Beefing up
Perhaps the biggest hurdle for Southwest will be staffing up before next summer. The carrier was forced to ax thousands of flights in peak October this year due to a lack of crews and other frontline employees, leaving passengers fuming and the airline facing a $75 million bill.
As the schedule grows next summer, Southwest will be hoping to avoid another crisis in 2022. However, all of this will only be possible if COVID-19 recedes as a threat. While this is likely, the presence of Omicron has led to dark clouds over the airline industry’s future recovery. For now, feel free to check out your next holiday destination as US carriers update their schedules.
What do you think about Southwest’s summer destinations? Let us know in the comments!
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