Southwest is launching 8 domestic and 1 international nonstop route, primarily on Feb. 13, 2027 — and two of those markets have never had a direct flight from any airline.
Southwest Airlines announced nine new nonstop routes set to launch primarily Feb. 13, 2027, headlined by a first-ever direct flight between Columbus, Ohio, and San Juan, Puerto Rico — a market no carrier has ever flown nonstop.
The routes, eight domestic and one international, were disclosed by aviation data analyst Enilria on X and corroborated by Cirium Diio scheduling data. All will operate primarily on Saturdays, consistent with leisure travel demand patterns, and will use Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft configured with 175 seats.
The expansion arrives as Southwest simultaneously launches 20 routes in early June 2026 and advances what CEO Bob Jordan now calls a “hybrid operator” transformation — what the airline calls its most sweeping strategic shift in decades.
The Route No Airline Has Ever Flown
The Columbus–San Juan pairing stands as the most significant of the nine additions.
U.S. Department of Transportation data shows 53,000 passengers flew that market indirectly last year, routing through Orlando, Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte and Fort Lauderdale. Columbus ranked as San Juan’s ninth-largest unserved domestic market, according to DOT.
No carrier currently offers nonstop service on that city pair, and none has any scheduled.
The Columbus Regional Airport Authority confirmed the service, describing it as “the second new nonstop destination debuting in 2027 for Columbus travelers” and “the 12th new flight” for the airport. Daren Griffin, the authority’s president and CEO, confirmed the announcement.
Nashville Gets Its First Direct Link to Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast
Southwest’s one international addition is also a first: weekly Saturday nonstop service between Nashville International Airport and Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia, Costa Rica, beginning Feb. 13, 2027.
The route spans 1,529 nautical miles each way and has never been operated by any airline.
Cirium data shows 11,000 passengers flew between Nashville and Liberia indirectly last year, ranking the market as the fifth-largest unserved U.S.-to-Liberia city pair. Nashville is Southwest’s seventh most-served airport by flight frequency; DOT data shows 5.5 million Southwest passengers connected through the airport last year.
Southwest has served Liberia since 2015. Cirium data shows 1.9 million two-way seats between the United States and Liberia are available in 2026 — up 5% over the prior year’s record.
All Nine Southwest New Routes
The eight domestic additions launch primarily on Saturdays, starting Feb. 13, 2027:
- Buffalo to Miami International Airport (MIA): American Airlines flies the route seasonally and returns in November.
- Columbus (CMH) to San Juan (SJU): No nonstop service exists or is scheduled from any carrier.
- Rochester to Fort Lauderdale: Southwest briefly operated the route in 2020; Allegiant Air resumes seasonal service in October.
- Indianapolis to West Palm Beach (PBI): No nonstop service exists or is scheduled from any carrier; Allegiant previously flew the route until 2025.
- Manchester, N.H., to Fort Myers, Fla.
- Portland, Maine, to Fort Myers.
- Providence to Sarasota: Southwest very briefly operated this route in 2023.
- Pittsburgh to West Palm Beach: Southwest served the route from 2013 to 2018.
Together, the nine routes span 14 airports and add 9,885 network miles to Southwest’s system.
Southwest Steps Into Breeze’s Territory
Cirium Diio data shows four of the eight domestic markets are currently served exclusively by Breeze Airways, the fast-growing startup carrier founded by serial airline entrepreneur David Neeleman. Breeze recently cut 18 routes as it rebalanced its network. Industry observers have described Southwest’s entry into those four markets as a potential “retaliatory approach” toward the startup.
A Carrier in Transition
The nine routes arrive alongside a separate, simultaneous June 2026 expansion — 20 routes total, with seven launching June 4 and 13 on June 6 — including Southwest’s longest-ever nonstop within the Lower 48 states.
Between June 2026 and January 2027, Southwest plans 71 nonstop international routes out of 22 U.S. airports, serving 14 international destinations, with 10,070 international departures scheduled in that window, down 1% from the same period a year ago.
Domestic capacity tells a contrasting story. Southwest’s domestic seat count has fallen 7% year over year — 11.1 million fewer seats for sale — as the carrier trims its U.S. network while adding targeted leisure routes.
Jordan has framed the pivot in explicit terms, calling Southwest a “hybrid operator” in a break from its decades-long identity as a pure low-cost carrier. The transformation includes assigned seating rolled out in January 2026, checked baggage fees, extra-legroom seats, and SpaceX Starlink Wi-Fi deploying on more than 300 aircraft by the end of 2026.
The financial results have been immediate. Southwest posted $7.25 billion in operating revenue in Q1 2026 — a first-quarter record — and net income of $227 million, compared with a net loss of $149 million in the year-ago quarter.
“The transformation is working. Customers love the product, and it is transforming our financial results,” Jordan said on the Q1 2026 earnings call.
Outlook
Jordan has signaled further ambitions. Speaking at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference, he said: “We will have a significantly larger array of domestic destinations available for you. Just a couple of weeks ago, we opened new areas in the Caribbean. We are continuing to add locations at a rapid pace throughout 2026. Additionally, we will provide access to destinations that we currently do not serve. I believe it is quite probable that we will explore long-haul international options during this timeframe.”
Southwest currently publishes its international schedule through January 2027 on Cirium, with additional markets to be announced.
Key Takeaways
- Southwest Airlines announced 9 new nonstop routes — 8 domestic, 1 international — launching primarily Feb. 13, 2027, on Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft operating mainly on Saturdays.
- The Columbus–San Juan route is the first-ever nonstop on that city pair; DOT data shows 53,000 passengers flew it indirectly last year.
- Nashville–Liberia, Costa Rica is also a first-ever nonstop, drawing from a market with 11,000 indirect annual passengers.
- Four routes directly enter markets where Breeze Airways holds exclusive nonstop service.
Southwest’s domestic seats are down 7% year over year as CEO Bob Jordan steers the carrier toward a “hybrid operator” model backed by record Q1 2026 revenue of $7.25 billion.