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Southwest Airlines is adding to its route map once again. The latest update focuses on Southern California with record-setting service at San Diego International Airport (SAN) and new connections across the Greater Los Angeles area.
San Diego International Airport (SAN) continues to see substantial investment from Southwest. It will reach an all-time high of 139 scheduled departures on peak days in August and September 2026. The airline’s expansion coincides with ongoing upgrades to the customer experience both onboard and within the new Terminal 1 at San Diego International Airport (SAN). Beginning August 4th, Southwest will launch daily service between San Diego International Airport (SAN) and Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA). This will be the 44th destination Southwest serves from there.
Southwest is also boosting frequency on three key routes from San Diego International Airport (SAN). Starting August 4th, it will double its daily flights to/from Portland International Airport (PDX), Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
Also beginning August 4th, travelers will gain access to new flights between Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) and Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). Ontario International Airport (ONT) will also receive daily nonstop service starting to Hawaii on June 4th.
As the largest carrier at Long Beach Airport (LGB), Southwest is reintroducing flights that reconnect the region to the Pacific Northwest. On August 4th, the airline will launch 6x weekly flights between Long Beach Airport (LGB) and both Portland International Airport (PDX) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
Southwest’s expanded schedule now includes more than 300 days of flights available to book through September 30th. The network growth comes alongside a series of customer experience upgrades recently introduced across the fleet, including:
- A redesigned cabin interior
- Assigned and premium seating
- Free Wi-Fi for Rapid Rewards Members through T-Mobile
- In-seat power installed on all Boeing 737-8 aircraft (with plans to extend it fleetwide)
With unprecedented growth at San Diego International Airport (SAN) and renewed investment in the Greater Los Angeles market, Southwest is shaping its largest-ever service footprint in Southern California. The expanded schedule provides travelers with more options, more convenient connections, and a refreshed onboard experience as the airline prepares for a milestone 2026 travel season.
Adam Decaire, Senior Vice President Network Planning and Network Operations Control at Southwest Airlines, said:
For more than 25 years, we’ve served more destinations and carried more Customers than any other airline in California. New facilities like those in San Diego and Burbank, along with our onboard Customer enhancements, have Southwest positioned to continue offering more for Customers in Southern California and beyond for many years to come.”
Anthony’s Take: Southwest is working hard to find its footing and making tons of changes to appeal to current travelers. The new flights to Hawaii and around the West Coast will definitely win over customers in the region as this brings choice in some markets currently dominated by Alaska Airlines.
(Image Credits: Southwest Airlines.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
