Southwest’s Summer 2026 Push: New City Pairs, Bigger Vegas and Orlando Schedules, and Anchorage Debut

Southwest just opened sales for summer 2026 and is leaning into high-demand leisure and bicoastal business pairs, with first-ever Las Vegas–Cancun nonstop, a new Boston–San Diego route, more California flying, and a daily Austin–Cincinnati link.

What’s new and when

• Sales are open for summer 2026, with schedules published through August 3, 2026.
• Boston to San Diego starts June 4, 2026, connecting major tech, biotech, and defense markets on each coast.
• Las Vegas adds a first international nonstop to Cancun beginning June 4, 2026, plus new service to Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta, and added trips on eight domestic routes.
• Orlando gets year-over-year increases on 11 routes, including Austin, Nashville, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Louisville, and San Juan.
• California growth is notable. San Diego targets a record 134 peak-day trips and 43 destinations, including the Boston launch and more San Diego to San Francisco frequencies. Los Angeles adds trips to Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Jose.
• Austin network tweaks include a new daily Austin to Cincinnati flight, returning seasonal Austin to Seattle, and more frequency to Indianapolis and San Francisco.
• Anchorage joins the map on May 15, 2026, with once-daily summer flights to Denver and Las Vegas.

Why this matters for business travel

• East to West coverage improves. Boston to San Diego adds a competitive bi-coastal option with realistic same-day meeting patterns when paired with early westbound and red-eye eastbound choices.
• Convention cities see more seats. Added Las Vegas and Orlando frequencies help event planners secure room blocks and reduce schedule friction for attendees arriving from secondary markets.
• Austin connectivity expands. Daily Austin to Cincinnati tightens a growing corridor tied to manufacturing, logistics, and large corporate footprints across Texas and the Midwest.
• California cadence helps day trips. Heavier intra-California schedules at Los Angeles and San Diego support out-and-back travel and provide more recovery options when delays occur.
• Onboard and policy upgrades matter in 2026. Assigned and premium seating, free Wi-Fi for members, and wider in-seat power availability make longer stages more workable for laptop time.

Key dates and planning tips

• Book window. Summer 2026 inventory is live through August 3, 2026. If your team is planning conferences, trainings, or long projects that straddle summer, lock airfare early and align room blocks to San Diego and Orlando peaks.
• Route launches to watch. June 4, 2026 for Boston to San Diego and Las Vegas to Cancun. May 15, 2026 for Anchorage service to Denver and Las Vegas.
• Leisure adjacency can help corporate travel. Added flying into leisure hubs can keep last-seat availability up on Thursday and Sunday patterns. Consider shifting meeting start times to capture lower-yield shoulder flights.

The bottom line

Southwest is leaning into high-demand leisure and high-utilization business corridors at the same time, with meaningful frequency in Las Vegas and Orlando, a new bi-coastal Boston to San Diego link, and fresh Austin connectivity. For travel managers, this unlocks more schedule flexibility, improves group travel options for major events, and pairs well with 2026 onboard and seating changes that make longer flights easier to work through.

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