DALLAS- Southwest Airlines (WN) has removed 17 routes from its five busiest airports, based on a comparison of its August 2025 and August 2026 schedules. Those bases are Denver International Airport (DEN), Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) serving Las Vegas, Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), and Nashville International Airport (BNA).
August is nearly here, and in that peak summer month the hybrid operator plans an average of 3,817 daily movements. Its offering has grown by 1% against last August, driven by the vast domestic market (+2%) rather than international flying (-5%).
How Southwest’s Network Changed Year-Over-Year
Over half of Southwest’s services touch the 5 airports listed above, at 52%. An airline revolves around its network, and everything feeds off it, so examining how that network has changed across a specified period is commonplace.
The comparison identified the airport pairs that have been removed. Some were cut last year, while others ended much more recently.
Several of the eliminated markets relate to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).
Southwest ceased serving them in June 2026 to consolidate at MDW and BWI. Some may say it is unfair to include them. Nonetheless, they are no longer served year-over-year, which is the only criterion applied here.
Five of the 17 links are due to return later this year and are identified by an asterisk in the table below. They are included because they all had Southwest flights in August 2025 but will not do so next month.
For example, the airline had five weekly departures from MDW to Tucson in the peak summer month last year. Having operated until June 2026, flights will resume in October, when it is a bit cooler in Arizona.
Full List Of Removed Airport Pairs
| Airport | Routes served last August but not in August 2026 |
|---|---|
| Denver | Charlotte, last served in April 2026*; Greenville/Spartanburg, August 2025; IAD, June 2026; ORD, June 2026 |
| Las Vegas | Albany, last served in March 2026*; Minneapolis, April 2026; ORD, June 2026; Rochester, New York, March 2026* |
| Midway | Montego Bay, last served in July 2026*; Tucson, June 2026* |
| Baltimore | Colorado Springs, last served in January 2026; Jackson Evers International Airport (JAN), March 2026; Long Beach, January 2026; ORD, November 2025 |
| Nashville | Orange County, last served in January 2026; ORD, June 2026; Portland, Oregon, August 2025 |
Route Removals Broken Down By Airport
Denver International Airport (DEN) accounts for four of the 17 removals. Charlotte was last served in April 2026 and is due back later this year. Greenville/Spartanburg was last available in August 2025, making it one of the two oldest cuts in the list. The IAD and ORD links both ended in June 2026 as part of the consolidation described above.
Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) also loses four pairs. Albany last operated in March 2026 and is set to return, as is Rochester, New York, which ended in the same month. Minneapolis was withdrawn in April 2026, and ORD in June 2026.
Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) has the fewest removals at two, and both are due to return. Montego Bay was served until July 2026, the most recent cut anywhere on the list. Tucson ended in June 2026 and resumes in October.
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) loses four pairs, none of which are marked for return. Colorado Springs and Long Beach both ended in January 2026, JAN in March 2026, and ORD in November 2025. The ORD cut here is the earliest of the O’Hare withdrawals in the comparison.
Nashville International Airport (BNA) loses three. Orange County ended in January 2026 and ORD in June 2026. Portland, Oregon, was last available in August 2025, matching Greenville/Spartanburg as the longest-standing removal.
Five Routes Set To Return
Of the 17 removed pairs, five carry the asterisk and are expected back later this year, even if only with a few nonstop flights.
They are DEN to Charlotte, LAS to Albany, LAS to Rochester, MDW to Montego Bay, and MDW to Tucson.
That leaves 12 pairs with no scheduled return in the current comparison. Four of those involve ORD and one involves IAD, both airports Southwest exited entirely.
Southwest Between BWI And JAN
Jackson, which is the capital and most populous city in Mississippi. Southwest operated from BWI to JAN from 1997, when the airline arrived in Mississippi, until 2013.
In this period, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) shows that the carrier transported 1,707,080 round-trip passengers but filled a dismal 59.8% of the seats. Up to two daily departures were available, which partly explains the very poor load.
It is perhaps surprising that the airport pair, which covered 772 nautical miles (1,430 km) each way, lasted for so long.
However, action was eventually taken, as the route’s frequency was reduced to a daily offering before being removed entirely. Southwest pulled out of JAN in 2014, when the remaining links to Houston Hobby, MDW, and Orlando obviously ended.
Southwest returned to JAN in 2021, with the first four routes including BWI, as reported by Simple Flying. Unlike the prior attempt, the frequency varied from as few as 5 weekly services up to a daily offering, nearly always on the 137-seat Boeing 737-700.
Despite these things, the DOT shows that the load factor had barely changed. Between 2021 and 2025, just 61.8% of seats were filled, with only 54.6% achieved in 2025. Only a quarter of passengers connected elsewhere, which did not help. Unsurprisingly, the route has ended again.
Two Attempts Compared
| Measure | 1997 to 2013 | 2021 to 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Round-trip passengers | 1,707,080 | Not disclosed |
| Load factor | 59.8% | 61.8% |
| Peak frequency | Up to two daily | Up to one daily |
| Minimum frequency | Daily, before removal | Five weekly |
| Aircraft | Not specified | 137-seat Boeing 737-700 |
| Outcome | Route removed, JAN exit in 2014 | Route removed in March 2026 |
The second attempt used lower frequencies and a smaller aircraft, yet the load factor moved by only two percentage points. The 2025 figure of 54.6% sits below both period averages.
19 Routes Added
This article is based on examining routes available from Southwest’s 5 busiest airports in August 2025 and comparing those networks to what is offered in August 2026. While 17 routes were removed year-over-year, 19 airport pairs have been introduced.
The most notable launches involved Anchorage International Airport (ANC), which is a brand-new destination on Southwest’s map. The airline began flying there from DEN and LAS in May 2026.
It is not entirely this straightforward. The 19 additions include some markets that had a Saturday-only offering from June through early August 2026, such as BWI to Oklahoma City and Pensacola, and DEN to Destin-Fort Walton Beach.
As Southwest’s schedule is only available through to April 2027, it is not clear if these links will return.
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