Southwest provides 3 new routes, cuts 1 in newest schedule replace

Southwest Airlines‘ presence in Mexico and the Caribbean is getting a boost in the carrier’s latest schedule update.

The airline announced three new routes — and the elimination of one domestic route — as it extended its booking schedule through April 8.

The additions are:

• Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)-Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport (SJU) in San Juan, Puerto Rico
• St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)-Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) in Mexico
• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)-Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport (BZE) in Belize

The cut is:

• Washington, D.C.’s Dulles International Airport (IAD)-Chicago’s Midway International Airport (MDW)

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From Baltimore, Southwest is adding new Saturday-only seasonal service to Belize. The airline also is bringing back three other seasonal routes between BWI and the Caribbean. On March 9, Southwest will resume Saturday-only flights to Grand Cayman, Los Cabos and the Turks and Caicos Islands as well.

The addition of Belize expands Southwest’s international footprint at BWI, where it now flies to 11 destinations across Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

The last of Southwest’s new routes announced Thursday comes in Austin. The fast-growing capital of Texas will get new Saturday-only service to San Juan.

Several of Southwest’s wintertime seasonal routes also will resume in Austin. Among those are Saturday-only routes to Cozumel and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Panama City, Florida; and Montrose, Colorado. Daily seasonal service to Charleston, South Carolina, returns March 7.

The one cut for Southwest comes at IAD, where the airline will drop its nonstop service to MDW after March 6. The loss of the Chicago flights continues a pullback by Southwest at Dulles, where the airline will now fly to only two destinations (Atlanta and Denver) once the Chicago flights end.

While Southwest has trimmed back its Dulles operation in recent years, it does maintain a robust presence in the greater D.C. and Baltimore metro areas. BWI is one of Southwest’s busiest airports across its entire network, and the carrier now flies to more than 20 destinations from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

Beyond the three additions and one cut, Southwest will resume dozens of seasonal routes for its spring schedule. Among the highlights are five routes returning for Cancun, Mexico (Columbus, Ohio; Milwaukee; New Orleans; Pittsburgh and San Antonio), as well as the return of several routes between Hawaii and California. The latter includes Sacramento-Maui (daily, resumes March 7); Long Beach, California-Maui (Saturdays, resumes March 9); Los Angeles-Kona, Hawaii (Saturdays, resumes March 9); and Los Angeles-Lihue, Hawaii (Saturdays, resumes March 9).

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Elsewhere, the seasonal resumptions span Southwest’s destinations around the country, running the gamut from routes like Denver-Savannah, Georgia (Saturdays and Sundays) to Atlanta-Los Angeles (Saturdays).

Scroll down for full details on Southwest’s three new routes. A full list of the airline’s seasonal resumptions is available on Southwest’s website.

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