Southwest Airlines Eyes Boeing 787s: 4 US Cities Most Likely To Get Long-Haul Flights

Published Oct 9, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT James lives and breathes route development. Educated in Air Transport Management at Loughborough University and Cranfield University, James has a PhD in Airline Strategy and Economics. James was Market Opportunity Analyst at London Luton Airport and Chief Analyst at anna.aero. He taught airline strategy and economics to undergraduate and postgraduate students for five years and has worked closely with multiple carriers on route and market intelligence projects. He is based near London, UK. Southwest Airlines has been changing dramatically recently, moving it further and further away from its low-cost carrier roots to become a self-styled hybrid operator. It has been doing things that it either could not previously do due to legacy systems or otherwise, or which it decided not to implement. Driven by the investor Elliot Management, some of the changes include flying overnight, premium seating, assigned seating, lounges, and baggage fees. Unsurprisingly, there is a big emphasis on growing passenger traffic and increasing revenue to improve profitability. And then there's the potential for long-haul flying using widebody aircraft in the carrier's next stage of life. Hang On: Southwest Operating Widebodies?! Credit: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock Rumors are spreading that Southwest is considering using the Boeing 787-9 for its long-haul ambition. Cirium Diio data shows that the 787-9 is the world's most popular widebody variant for long-haul flights, and operates one in six such services globally. Inevitably, used airframes are initially likely, because things could get going much sooner than waiting for brand-new aircraft. Enilria, which focuses on airline network changes and data analysis, disclosed the possibility of widebody aircraft in July 2025. Of course, virtually nothing has been confirmed, and it may be a long time until it is. Still, it is theoretically possible that the troubled Norse Atlantic could be involved, just as it was with India's largest carrier, IndiGo. It is probable that other operators have been contacted, too. Norse leased six 787-9s to IndiGo, but that deal ended much sooner than was originally planned. This led to the elimination of most of the Indian airline's long-haul routes and gave rise to an 11-hour Airbus A321XLR operation. Norse needs to place the 787s with a suitable operator as soon as possible, especially given the highly challenging winter season is nearly here. Could a deal with Southwest happen? Theoretically, but it is speculation right now. Aside from the considerable number of normal things that would have to be considered, Southwest must reach an agreement with the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association over operating widebody aircraft and long-haul pay. This could take a long time. It would not be unreasonable to assume that the airline obtains aircraft only to not fly them for a long time until everything else is confirmed. Let's Indulge: From Where Could Southwest Fly Boeing 787s? The obvious starting point is to examine Southwest's top ten busiest airports by aircraft movements, which are shown below. Las Vegas recently overtook Denver for the top spot, while Nashville could overtake Baltimore and Chicago Midway for the third spot soon. Long-haul operations from some of the entries could be immediately ruled out. Southwest would not deploy aircraft with 300+ seats on point-to-point routes. It'd need transit traffic to help drive sales, load factors, and revenue, and even more so in the offseason. Most long-haul operations require passenger feed, along with freight. As such, the table also provides details about the extent of Southwest's connectivity at each of the airports. Southwest's Daily Movements: October 2026* Airport Southwest's Estimated Daily Transfer Passengers** % Transiting Comments About The 787-9 503 Las Vegas 20,600 35% Possible. A massive attraction, renowned globally, with a very large focus on connectivity across the West Coast. Other long-haul flights are provided by foreign carriers. Could also be good for Asian services, feeding most of the US 496 Denver 31,200 40% Possible. Reasonably well-known globally, but with United Airlines' strong hub. Southwest's #1 connecting airport in terms of absolute traffic 414 Chicago Midway 21,600 45% No, the runways are too short 412 Baltimore 24,200 50% Possible, especially for places beyond the realistic range of 737 MAXs, such as Southern Europe, which is the primary focus from North America nowadays. But few outside the US know of Baltimore. Could provide connectivity across the US. Big United hub at Dulles 404 Nashville 17,800 44% Possible. More European carriers are announcing flights to Nashville. Could make sense for Southwest, providing great connectivity across most of the country 398 Phoenix 14,500 31% I don't expect it, not least because of its position and American Airlines hub 381 Dallas Love 17,600 40% I don't see it 333 Orlando 9,100 24% Unlikely. Obviously, it's a massive destination, and it could work for some Northern European cities, but Orlando is much more about foreign travelers than the US market 291 Houston Hobby 14,100 41% I don't see it 246 San Diego 3,300 12% While it is a fast-growing airport for Southwest, I do not see long-haul flights, largely because it is in the wrong place for connectivity * Takeoffs and landings combined ** According to the US Department of Transportation for the 12 months to June 2026 Which Cities Would Be Served From The US? Credit: Simple Flying A lot of the discussion, here and elsewhere, is assuming European operations — eventually. However, it is possible that Asia will be a key focus, with Alaska Airlines recently stating that it is now prioritizing that continent for growth rather than Europe. The same could be true for Southwest, but who knows? Let's focus on Europe. It might be a long time until Southwest confirms widebody operations, if it ever does. I'd not expect anything too out-of-the-box, like United Airlines' network developments recently. Southwest is much more likely to be pretty conservative. Where it flies depends, in part, on whether it wants much, if any, head-to-head competition. This would, of course, also dictate from which airports it operates. It is likely that Southwest would initially fly to major cities, like London and Paris. It is possible that Dublin and Edinburgh (which are also very popular among US travelers) could be early contenders too. Southern European cities are highly likely to feature, such as Athens, Barcelona, Lisbon (but it is heavily slot-restricted), Naples, Rome, and Venice. They are all increasingly popular for US visitors.