Southwest Airlines Launches These 5 New Routes This Week: See Full List Now

Published Sep 28, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America. Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector. He is based in Canterbury, New Zealand. His work has been published in Simple Flying and featured by MSN, SAM CHUI Aviation & Travel, EIN News, Pakistan Defence, and Climate Depot. Southwest Airlines, the world's largest low-cost carrier, continues to expand its network across the United States, and this coming October the airline will launch five new domestic routes, stretching from both sides of the country. Southwest is one of the largest airlines in the US by number of passengers carried, and it maintains hubs at multiple major airports. From October 1, three new routes will take flight from Nashville International Airport (BNA) to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) and Reno Tahoe International Airport (RNO), while a new service from Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) to Memphis International Airport (MEM) will also begin. Two additional new links will start from Austin on October 3 to Sonoma County (STS) and Destin-Fort Walton Beach (VPS). Data for this article has been sourced from Cirium, an online aviation analytics company. Southwest Airlines Takes Off For Manchester And Memphis Credit: Ryken Papy | Shutterstock Southwest's addition between Nashville and Memphis will begin on October 1 and will become the fourth year-round destination to Manchester Boston Regional Airport. The airport, which is located in the neighboring state of New Hampshire, is around 50 miles (80 km) north of the city. Southwest will begin with four weekly flights this October, before eventually increasing this to a daily rotation. Loading map… Drag to explore Flights from Austin to Memphis will also begin on October 1, with the nonstop service from Austin operating six times weekly to begin before increasing to a daily service. The new route becomes Memphis' tenth year-round destination. Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines all account for close to 20% each of Memphis airport overall operations by passengers carried, according to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Further data on these routes below: Origin Destination Frequency Notes Nashville (BNA) Manchester Boston (MHT) 4x Weekly Increasing to daily Austin (AUS) Memphis (MEM) 6x Weekly Increasing to daily More Southwest Airlines Flights Are Destined For Reno, Sonoma County And Destin-Fort Walton Beach Credit: ZikG | Shutterstock The first day of October will see the second new route from Nashville take flight for 'The Biggest Little City In The World', also known as Reno. Southwest will initially fly two weekly flights on the city pair, before increasing this to six weekly. The new route will become Reno's ninth year-round and farthest east Southwest destination. Beginning on October 3, Austin will gain two new domestic routes, with nonstop flights operating across the month from the Texas airport to Sonoma County. The city pair will have a weekly flight from Austin to the California airport. The route is set to operate seasonally and becomes Sonoma's fifth Southwest service. Rounding out the list is Southwest's new weekly service from Austin to Destin-Fort Walton Beach. Operating as a seasonal service through October 24, the flight will provide nonstop flights from the home of country music to the picturesque Okaloosa County, Florida, and will be Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport's eighth nonstop Southwest service. Origin Destination Frequency Notes Nashville (BNA) Reno (RNO) 2x Weekly Increasing to daily Austin (AUS) Sonoma County (STS) 1x Weekly Seasonal service operating until October 24 Austin (AUS) Destin-Fort Walton Beach (VPS) 1x Weekly Seasonal service operating until October 24 Southwest's Busiest Airports In October Credit: Seth R | Shutterstock Continuing to use data from Cirium, Southwest's busiest airports in October continue to be Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) and Denver International Airport (DEN), both accounting for more than 1,750 weekly flights. The airline's third-largest hub is that of Chicago Midway (MDW), which sees a total of 1,458 weekly flights in October. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) holds fourth place with 1,441 flight operations, followed by the airline's growing base in Nashville (BNA), which will enjoy a total of 1,420 Southwest operations. Full list below: Airport IATA Code Weekly Flights In The First Week Of October 2026 Las Vegas LAS 1,778 Denver DEN 1,755 Chicago Midway MDW 1,458 Baltimore BWI 1,441 Nashville BNA 1,420 Phoenix PHX 1,401 Dallas DAL 1,343 Orlando MCO 1,166 Houston HOU 1,025 San Diego SAN 863 As analysed by Simple Flying, Southwest remains one of the largest airlines in the United States, with the airline recording more than 1.4 million flights in 2025.