Southwest Adds Routes, Flights for College Football Season

The carrier is also expanding service for NFL games, music festivals, and other events this fall.

A Southwest 737 in Austin, Texas
A Southwest 737 in Austin, Texas. (Photo: Shutterstock | lorenzatx)
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Key Takeaways:

  • Southwest Airlines announced an expanded flight schedule for autumn, introducing new and temporary routes to accommodate various events.
  • The majority of these special services are tailored for college and professional football games, with detailed route additions and increased frequencies for specific college matchups.
  • Additional flights are also planned for other significant events, including music festivals, a hot air balloon festival, and volleyball games.
  • Tickets for all these newly announced special event flights are currently available for purchase.
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Southwest this week announced a slew of new flights and temporary routes for events this autumn, including college and professional football games.

The carrier on Tuesday released its full, expanded schedule for the college football season, which starts later this month. Temporary connections and additional flights on existing routes will operate on the days preceding and following the games, Southwest said.

The complete schedule is:

  • Baylor vs. Auburn, Sept. 5 in Atlanta: Dallas Love Field-Atlanta increased service
  • Arizona State at Texas A&M, Sept. 12: Phoenix-Houston increased service
  • Ohio State at Texas, Sept. 12: Cleveland-Austin, Texas, new service; Columbus, Ohio-Austin increased service
  • Oklahoma at Michigan, Sept. 12: Oklahoma City-Detroit new service
  • Florida State at Alabama, Sept. 19: Tampa, Florida-Birmingham, Alabama, increased service
  • LSU at Ole Miss, Sept. 19: Dallas-Memphis, Tennessee, increased service; Houston-Memphis increased service
  • Oklahoma at Georgia: Oklahoma City-Atlanta new service
  • Sam Houston at Texas Tech, Sept. 26: Austin-Lubbock, Texas, increased service; Dallas-Lubbock increased service; Houston-Lubbock increased service
  • Texas at Tennessee, Sept. 26: Austin-Knoxville, Tennessee, new service; Dallas-Knoxville increased service
  • Texas A&M at LSU, Sept. 26: Austin-New Orleans increased service; Dallas-New Orleans increased service
  • Utah State at Boise State, Oct. 3: Oakland-Boise, Idaho, increased service; Sacramento-Boise increased service; San Jose, California-Boise increased service
  • LSU at Kentucky, Oct. 10: New Orleans-Louisville, Kentucky, increased service
  • Nebraska at Oregon, Oct. 17: Omaha-Eugene, Oregon, new service
  • Kentucky at Oklahoma, Oct. 17: Louisville-Oklahoma City new service
  • Florida at Texas, Oct. 17: Tampa-Austin increased service
  • Texas A&M at Alabama, Oct. 24: Dallas-Birmingham increased service; Houston-Birmingham increased service
  • Ole Miss at Texas, Oct. 24: Memphis-Austin increased service
  • Oklahoma at Florida, Nov. 7: Oklahoma City-Jacksonville, Florida, new service
  • Texas at LSU, Nov. 14: Austin-New Orleans increased service; Dallas-New Orleans increased service
  • Tennessee at Texas A&M, Nov. 14: Nashville, Tennessee-Austin increased service; Nashville-Houston increased service; Knoxville-Austin new service
  • Ohio State at Nebraska, Nov. 21: Columbus-Omaha new service
  • SMU at Notre Dame, Nov. 21: Dallas-Chicago Midway increased service

Southwest did not release a similarly detailed schedule for the NFL season but said it will serve around 19 matchups. The airline said it will operate some city pairs that are not on its regular schedule, including Minneapolis/St. Paul and New Orleans; Kansas City and Seattle; Miami and Boston; Cleveland and New Orleans; and Milwaukee and Boston.

Southwest also said it will add flights for volleyball games in Omaha, Nebraska (late August and early September); music festivals in Columbus and Las Vegas (both during the weekend of Sept. 19); a hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico (October); Austin City Limits Music Festival (October); and a half-marathon in Orlando, Florida (October).

Tickets for the special event flights are now available for purchase.

Zach Vasile

Zach Vasile is a writer and editor covering news in all aspects of commercial aviation. He has reported for and contributed to the Manchester Journal Inquirer, the Hartford Business Journal, the Charlotte Observer, and the Washington Examiner, with his area of focus being the intersection of business and government policy.
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