How Many Routes Does Southwest Airlines Have? Get The Latest Count Here!

If you’re wondering, “How many routes does Southwest Airlines have?” This article is for you! This airline flies to many places, making travel easy and affordable for many people. But just how many routes does it cover? This blog post will break it down for you. People love this airline for its low prices, friendly service, and no extra fees for bags. Knowing how many routes it has helps you understand its size and reach. 

This article will teach you the latest information on Southwest’s routes. Learn how many places it flies to. By the end, you’ll have a clear answer to the question, making your planning more efficient. So, dive in and explore how many routes this airline really has!

Current Number of Routes

Right now, Southwest flies to around 117 destinations. These include cities in 42 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and 10 nearby countries like Mexico and the Caribbean. Experts estimate that Southwest runs about 700 unique routes. A “unique route” is a specific trip between two cities, such as Dallas to Denver. They calculate this number by counting every pair of cities Southwest offers a nonstop flight between.

Top Routes For Southwest Airlines
Dallas Love Field – Houston Hobby	Denver – Dallas Love Field
Chicago Midway – Denver	Atlanta – Orlando
Denver – Las Vegas	Chicago Midway – St. Louis
Phoenix Sky Harbor – Las Vegas	Houston Hobby – New Orleans
Baltimore/Washington – Orlando	Phoenix Sky Harbor – Albuquerque
Chicago Midway – Phoenix Sky Harbor	Baltimore/Washington – Boston
Dallas Love Field – Phoenix Sky Harbor	Denver – San Diego
Los Angeles – Las Vegas	Las Vegas – San Francisco
Oakland – Los Angeles	Chicago Midway – Tampa
San Diego – Las Vegas	Dallas Love Field – Austin

Why the Number Keeps Changing?

It constantly changes its flight routes. In March 2025, Southwest added new flights, like the one from Nashville to Cabo San Lucas. By August 2025, Southwest will start new routes, such as the flight from Orlando to Los Angeles. It also brings back seasonal routes, like the one from Austin to San Francisco. But the airline also cut some routes. They dropped five routes in early 2025 to focus on routes with more passengers. 

Counting the Routes

It’s not easy to know exactly how many routes Southwest has. Unlike other airlines that use a hub-and-spoke system, it flies using a point-to-point system. This means they fly directly between many small and large cities. In November 2023, they flew over 4,000 flights each day. Their newest schedule goes until January 2026, and experts say these 700 routes connect about 117 airports. That’s a lot of routes helping people travel!

What Does This Mean for You?

This airline offers you many choices with about 700 routes. You can fly to big cities like Chicago or smaller ones like Boise. This large number of routes shows how Southwest remains a major airline, and it carries more nonstop passengers within the U.S. than any other airline. So, for a short trip or an extended vacation, it has a route for you.

Popular Destinations Covered By Southwest

Check out a list of popular destinations covered by this airline. Southwest Airlines goes to more than 100 places in the United States, and also to countries like Mexico and islands in the Caribbean. Here are some of the most popular places people travel to with them:

Dallas	New York (LaGuardia)
Denver	Washington, D.C.
Chicago	Cancun
Nashville	Puerto Vallarta
Los Angeles	Cabo San Lucas
Las Vegas	Montego Bay
Phoenix	Punta Cana
San Diego	San Juan
Orlando	Aruba
Atlanta	Honolulu
Houston	Maui (Kahului)
Baltimore	Kona
San Francisco

Factors Controlling the Number of Routes

Have a look at the factors that impact how many routes Southwest has:

• The Number of Planes They Own- Southwest has many planes that it owns and flies. If they have more planes, they can go to more places. When it gets new planes, it usually starts flying to new places. They might fly to fewer places if they get rid of old planes.
• Passenger Demand- When many people want to travel between two places, this airline will likely start flying there. It checks how many tickets they think they can sell for a new flight before they decide to offer it.
• Route Profitability- Like any business, this airline needs to make money from its routes. If a route doesn’t attract enough passengers or costs too much to operate, Southwest might stop flying that route. They constantly check if their routes are profitable.
• Airport Availability- It must have spots at airports to fly. If an airport is very busy, Southwest might not find room for new flights. So, it talks to airports to get those spots.
• Government Rules- Governments set rules about where airlines can fly, especially for international routes. These regulations affect which countries and cities Southwest can serve. The airline must follow these rules when planning new routes.   
• Strong Economy, More Routes- How the economy is doing really matters. If things are going well, more people travel for work and for fun. This makes Southwest want to add more places for its planes to go. But if the economy gets worse, people might not travel as much, and they might fly to fewer places.
• Checking Out the Competition- This airline watches what other airlines do. If many airlines already fly between two cities, they might not add a flight there. But if Southwest thinks it can offer something better, like cheaper tickets, it might still fly that way.
• When People Like to Travel- People travel more to some places at specific times of the year. Lots of people want to visit beaches in the summer and ski places in the winter. So, Southwest sometimes adds more flights or starts new routes to these popular spots when many people want to go. Then, when those seasons end, they might fly there less.
• Southwest’s Future Route Ideas- This airline has ideas about where it wants to fly in the years to come. It might pick new areas to fly to or make it easier for people to go between certain cities. These plans help Southwest add new flight paths over time.

How to Find Southwest’s Routes?

You must know how to find Southwest’s routes with the help of the section below:

• Go to the Southwest Airlines Website- The easiest way to see where Southwest flies is to go to their official website. Once you are on their site, look for sections like “Flight>> Book a flight/Route Map.”   
• Use the “Book a Flight” Tool- Find the section where you can book a flight on the website. You will usually see places to type in where you want to fly from and where you want to go. While entering these cities & selecting your travel dates, the website will show you all the routes it offers between those places.   
• Check out the “Explore Destinations” Page- This airline has a page on their website that lists all the cities they fly to. Look for a link that says “Explore Destinations”. On this page, you can usually see a list of cities or a map showing all their locations.   
• Look at the “Route Map”- You need to look for a “Route Map” link on the Southwest website under the “Flight” option. This map lets you see all the cities it flies to and how they connect. You can usually click on a city to see which other cities Southwest flies to from there.
• Use the Southwest Airlines Mobile App- This airline also has a phone app you can get on your phone or iPad. On the app, you can do the same things you do on their website. Find options to book flights or see all the places they go. You can use the app to look for routes just like you use the website.
• Utilize Flight Search Websites- Some websites help you look for flights from many different airlines, including Southwest. You just type in the two places you want to travel between, and these websites will show you if Southwest has a flight and when it flies.
• Ask Them Directly- If you can’t find the information you need online, you can call their customer service. You can ask them about specific routes or if they fly between particular cities. You can often see their phone number on their website.
• Look for Announcements About New Routes- Sometimes the airline tells people when they will start flying to new places. You can look at the news on their website or check their pages on Facebook or Twitter to see if they will be flying to any new cities.

Time To Wrap It Up!

Now that you have the answer to, How many routes does Southwest Airlines have, it’s time to conclude everything! This airline flies around 700 routes to over 100 cities, making it a big name in travel. Their point-to-point system skips extra stops, so you get there faster and cheaper. They listen to travelers, add routes people want, and keep things simple with one type of plane. Next time you plan a flight, check out Southwest’s routes. They have plenty of options to take you where you want to go!

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