Southwest Reportedly Planning Major Expansion for 2027

Southwest Airlines has already expanded its route offerings in June, and more growth is on the way in 2027, according to the latest reports.

Early next year, the popular budget airline will introduce nine new routes--eight domestic, one international. Enilria (airline spelled backward), a community network focusing on airline route networks and other flying topics, first reported the news.

What new routes will Southwest introduce in 2027 and when?

According to Simple Flying and Upgraded Points, these new eight domestic routes will roll out starting Feb. 13, 2027.

• Buffalo (BUF) to Miami (MIA)
• Columbus (CMH) to San Juan (SJU)
• Indianapolis (IND) to West Palm Beach (PBI)
• Manchester, New Hampshire (MHT) to Fort Myers (RSW)
• Pittsburgh (PIT) to West Palm Beach (PBI)
• Portland, Maine (PWM) to Fort Myers (RSW)
• Providence (PVD) to Sarasota (SRQ)
• Rochester (ROC) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL)

Four of these routes are currently served by low-cost carrier Breeze Airways, per reports.

Southwest previously served the Pittsburgh-West Palm Beach route as recently as 2018, while Fort Lauderdale-Rochester was last served in 2020 and Providence-Sarasota in 2023.

As for the new international option, it will consist of a flight from Nashville to Liberia, Costa Rica, giving passengers a chance to get away for some sun, surf and sand.

Southwest has more on the way in the near future

Before we get to those 2027 itineraries, Southwest has additional new routes debuting tomorrow--13 to be exact. This comes after the Dallas-based air carrier opened up seven new options yesterday.

Southwest first began teasing its June 2026 route expansion back in October. For the full rundown, click here.

An era of change for Southwest

Since last year, Southwest has implemented a number of new policies and also removed others, including the immensely popular "Bags Fly Free" and open seating arrangements.

Not all of these changes were met with approval, but that hasn't stopped Southwest from increasing revenue or diminished its reputation among customers. For the fifth straight year, economy and basic economy passengers named Southwest their preferred airline, according to J.D. Power's 2026 North America Airline Satisfaction Study.

Additionally, The Points Guy's 2026 Best U.S. Airlines report, released this week, had Southwest as the third-best domestic carrier overall, behind only Delta and United.

"If Southwest bolsters its offerings with lounges (as rumored) don't be surprised if it makes a run at the top spot," said The Points Guy's Sean Cudahy.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 12:06 PM.