Southwest Airlines said Wednesday that it is adding 65 roundtrip flights to its summer schedule next year according to the USA Today.
The flights will be scheduled between May 9 and Aug. 13. The new flights include the previously announced introduction of service between Panama City, Fla.'s new airport that will open next year and Nashville, Houston Hobby, Baltimore-Washington and Orlando, beginning May 23.
"The May schedule reflects seasonal travel patterns when demand increases and flying time decreases during the summer," Southwest says in a statement.
At Baltimore-Washington, where Southwest is the largest carrier, the number of nonstop daily flights will increase to 181 beginning May 9, up from its current 157, according to the Baltimore Sun. That will be the largest number of flights it has offered at BWI since it started service there with 10 flights in 1993, it says.
"I think the Baltimore buildup is a function of Southwest consolidating its power and really trying to dominate a market," said Vaughn Cordle, chief analyst at Airline Forecasts, told the Sun. "They've got to defend against competitors like JetBlue and AirTran and other carriers that in the aggregate are nibbling at their margins."
At Nashville, Southwest will also introduce new daily flights to St. Louis, Seattle and Oakland, beginning May 9, according to the Tennessean.
For Denver, Southwest will launch nine daily flights and one Saturday-only flight to New York LaGuardia on May 9, says the Denver Post. Two daily nonstop destinations — Spokane, Wash. and Tampa — will also be added.
In August, Southwest will add 15 more flights out of Denver and will release details in February. "Denver continues to respond exceptionally well to our growth and service," Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said in a statement.
Southwest is DIA's third-largest airline, less than four years after it launched service there. With the May additions, Southwest will operate 129 daily flights out of Denver, the Post says.
