Back-to-school shopping isn’t the only thing on the calendar this month. Southwest Airlines has opened up its flight schedule through early April 2027, and for anyone who likes to lock in a getaway before the crowds even start thinking about it, this is your window.
Big Moves in Southwest’s Home Bases
Austin and Orlando are getting some serious love. Austin is set for record-high departures, 141 flights on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays alone, and two brand new routes are joining the lineup in the second week of March: nonstop service to Detroit and a Saturday run down to San Jose, Costa Rica.
Mountain lovers with Colorado on the brain should take note, too. Austin’s connections to Steamboat Springs (Hayden) and to the Telluride/Crested Butte gateway in Montrose are both bumping up to five days a week. Combine that with a quick flight in from Denver, and you’ve got an easy long weekend on the slopes without the usual mountain traffic headache.
Orlando isn’t slowing down either, with its busiest Saturday schedule ever (214 departures) and a new three-times-daily nonstop to New York’s LaGuardia Airport. That’s good news for New Yorkers eyeing theme park trips or Florida sunshine without the hassle of connecting. A new once-daily hop to Pensacola rounds out the Orlando additions.
West Coast and Hawaii Gains
For Los Angeles area travelers, the Hawaii routes just got more useful. Southwest is boosting Honolulu service from both Burbank and Ontario to five times a week, running every day except Tuesday and Wednesday. San Diego is picking up weekend-only flights to Kona and Lihue as well. And if you’re an especially adventurous flyer, keep an eye out for Southwest’s first-ever reverse redeye, a 2:45 a.m. departure from Las Vegas to Honolulu.
A Few More Additions Worth Knowing
Nashville is expanding its international footprint with new Saturday-only flights to Aruba, Costa Rica’s Liberia airport, Montego Bay, and St. Thomas. Travelers in Columbus, Ohio, get a new Saturday connection to Punta Cana. Domestically, Nashville is also adding daily service to Des Moines and Wichita, Baltimore and Philadelphia are getting a twice-daily connection, and Las Vegas is expanding ties to Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, and Knoxville.
Why the Early Booking Window Matters
Southwest built four distinct daily schedules for March 2027 rather than one blanket calendar, reflecting how differently people travel depending on the day of the week. Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays are shaping up to be the busiest, with more than 4,400 flights scheduled each day. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, traditionally the quieter travel days, sit at just over 4,000 flights.
The takeaway for Go Jetting readers: if flexibility is on your side, a Tuesday or Wednesday departure could mean a calmer airport experience and possibly a better fare. Either way, spring feels a lot closer now that the schedule’s out.
Visit southwest.com for schedules, fares, and more details.
