Southwest Airlines’ 10 busiest airports have 3,700 daily movements in march

Southwest is the USA's second-largest passenger operator. With a fleet of 800+ Boeing 737s, the carrier's statistics show that enplaned passengers totaled 175.5 million in 2024.

Traffic rose by 2% compared to its prior high in 2023 (despite the average passenger fare increasing by nearly double that rate). As traffic rose faster than capacity, the load factor increased to over 80%.

The carrier achieved a full-year net income of $465 million last year, about five times lower than in 2019. No wonder it is undertaking significant changes, unheard of in its 54-year history, to attempt to return to where it was.

Among other things, it plans to cut 15% of its corporate workforce, started its first overnight flights, is now an IATA member, and has introduced a codeshare agreement with Icelandair. Other changes include assigned seating (ending its open seating policy) and premium seats.

These and other measures are designed to decrease costs, increase revenue, increase traffic volume and loads, and, in turn, improve performance.

Where Southwest flies: March

Using Cirium Diio data to examine its full March network shows that the carrier will fly to 117 airports. Some 104 are in the US (including San Juan, Puerto Rico, a US territory), and 13 are in the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico.

Compared to March 2024, its served airports have fallen from 121. Gone are Bellingham, Cozumel, Houston Intercontinental, and Syracuse.

It plans 906 routes in the analyzed 31 days: 839 domestic (including the recent additions of Albany-Sarasota and Washington Reagan-Las Vegas) and 67 international.

While its domestic network has risen slightly year-on-year, its international map is marginally smaller than it was.

Overall, Southwest has scheduled an average of 4,055 daily roundtrip services, down by 2.3% from the 4,155 available last March. Boeing delivery delays have not helped.

Southwest's top 10 airports: March

The following table summarizes them. They are so critical to the airline that more than nine in 10 of its movements (take-offs and landings combined) touch them.

Yes, most are relatively large cities and/or prominent tourist places, helping to drive point-to-point traffic, but they are also significant for Southwest's connecting passengers.

Half of them have fewer movements...

Denver remains Southwest's number one airport, with an average of 508 daily movements. However, they have fallen by a considerable 9% compared to last March, reducing the Colorado airport's share of Southwest's activity from 13.5% to 12.5%.

It has 88 Denver routes, with six destinations cut compared to March 2024: Amarillo (last served in June 2024), Bellingham (August 2024), Cozumel (April 2024), Eugene (November 2024), Houston Intercontinental (August 2024), and Santa Barbara (November 2024).

However, it has gained three routes: Albany (started June 2024), Hartford (June 2024), and Providence (June 2024).

Half of the top 10 airports had fewer services year-on-year. Joining Denver was Chicago Midway (-7.2%), Houston Hobby (-5.4%), Baltimore (-2.9%), and Orlando (-0.2%).

But half have grown...

In contrast, Southwest's Phoenix movements rose significantly (+10.7%), far more than Nashville (+8.6%), Las Vegas (+2.5%), St Louis (+2.2%), and Dallas Love (+0.2%). Phoenix's growth pushed it from sixth place a year ago to third.

Excluding one-off flights, its Phoenix network comprises 59 destinations in March, more than a year ago. Additional routes include Birmingham (started October 2024), Des Moines (October 2024), Memphis (October 2024), and Washington Dulles (April 2024).