Southwest Airlines has announced their intention to serve Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Eugene, Oregon and Bellingham, Washington in 2021. This is in addition to new service this week in Colorado Springs, Savannah/Hilton Head and Between Long Beach and Hawaii.
On Monday (March 8, 2021), Southwest Airlines announced their intention to launch service in 2021 to/from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Eugene, Oregon and Bellingham, Washington. The new cities are in addition to the start of new service this week in Colorado Springs, Savannah/Hilton Head, and between Long Beach Airport and the Hawaiian Islands. In a message to company employees today, Southwest Airlines’ Chairman and CEO, Gary Kelly, said,
“I'm pleased to share with you all that today we're announcing our intention to serve three more destinations and continue our focus on putting our aircraft to work to pursue more Customers and much-needed revenue. And the destinations are (drum roll!) Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Eugene, Oregon; and Bellingham, Washington—three very different and appealing locations to both serve our existing Customers and places where we feel Southwest can make a real difference for local travelers.
“We're looking to start Myrtle Beach service in time for summer vacations and we expect our arrival to appeal to travelers who currently drive to this very popular coastal area in the Southeast. 'Golf bags fly free'* should be very popular for Myrtle Beach service! Eugene is about two hours south of Portland, and it's ripe for the Southwest Effect, our Hospitality, and our flexible policies, with no hidden fees, and low fares. Southwest service in Bellingham positions us just south of metro Vancouver, British Colombia. Following the reopening of the Canadian border, we expect a return of the value-minded travelers who already drive to this alternative airport to escape high fares and taxes—and that's very, very typical for Southwest destinations. Southwest provides a great value for them. Service to both Eugene and Bellingham is something we've anticipated in the second half of the year.
“That makes 17 new airports that either we have opened or announced since the pandemic began. And for those that have commenced service, they're performing very well. In fact, we just shared with the airports serving Steamboat Springs and Telluride that we're extending our service beyond the winter season to continue serving both through the summer of 2021. Colorado Springs, Savannah, and our Long Beach service to Hawaii all start-up this coming Thursday. That's a lot of work, a lot of new destinations, and a lot of options for our Customers and so I want to thank all of the Teams that have a hand in continuing to grow the Heart of Southwest while better positioning us to capture more Customers as the travel demand rebounds.”
*The ‘Golf bags fly free’ policy mentioned by Mr. Kelly is included as one of two free checked baggage items offered to every Southwest guest. Weight and size limitations apply.
Celebrating their 50th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) has distinguished itself by offering exemplary customer service delivered by 56,000 team members. Southwest offers a robust point-to-point network with a strong presence across leisure and business markets. In 2019, the carrier served 130 million passengers. During peak travel seasons, the airline operates more than 4,000 daily departures to 101 destinations across the U.S. and 10 additional countries. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, based on the number of originating passengers boarded, Southwest has been the largest U.S. domestic carrier since 2003. In 2020, Southwest added service to Hilo, Cozumel, Miami, Palm Springs, Steamboat Springs and Montrose/Telluride. This year the carrier has added Chicago-O’Hare, Sarasota/Bradenton, Savannah/Hilton Head, Colorado Springs, Houston-Bush, Santa Barbara, Fresno, Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Bozeman, Montana and Jackson, Mississippi.
Source: Southwest Airlines