Southwest Airlines to Launch New Service at Myrtle Beach, Adds Nonstop Flights From Austin

Southwest Airlines will launch new service at Myrtle Beach International Airport from May 23, 2021. The carrier will also offer a record number nonstop destinations from Austin this summer.

Southwest Boeing 737 MAX 8 - Courtesy Southwest Airlines

On Thursday (March 25, 2021), Southwest Airlines announced the launch of new service from Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) in South Carolina. The carrier will also offer more nonstop flights than ever before from Austin, Texas, for summer 2021. During the first week of operations from Myrtle Beach, Southwest will offer service to/from five destinations including Baltimore/Washington (BWI), Chicago-Midway, Nashville, Dallas (Love Field) and Pittsburgh. Additionally, from June 6, 2021, Southwest will add service between MYR Atlanta, Columbus and Indianapolis. To celebrate the launch of service from Myrtle Beach, Southwest is offering one-way fares from select cities starting at only $69 through April 1, 2021.

In Thursday’s announcement, Southwest Airlines’ Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer, Andrew Watterson, said,

“We continue to tailor our schedule with added flights to address closer-in demand for leisure destinations while making foundational additions to our map that position our network for the future. For Myrtle Beach, we know the arrival of our two bags fly free—with a golf bag able to count as one of those—will encourage visitors to fly Southwest instead of drive, and consider a quicker trip with us and our value propositions of bags fly free, golf bags fly free, low fares, and flexible policies. We’re so pleased to share our Heart with them in time to bring visitors this summer.”

For summer 2021, Southwest is also offering nonstop flights to a record 37 cities from Austin, Texas, including service to Sacramento (from May 9th), Burbank, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Orange County, Salt lake City and Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Florida (from June 6th). Speaking on the additional service from Austin, Mr. Watterson added,

“During the last decade, Southwest has served the most nonstop destinations from Austin each year based on DOT published schedules. In March 2021, more than 70% of our Austin Customers got where they’re going with a nonstop journey on Southwest Airlines. With our new service scheduled to begin in June 2021, our number of destinations available nonstop from Austin is more than double the offering of any other carrier. While other carriers have fallen in and out of love with Austin across the years, we're continuing to build on nearly 45 years of offering affordable and relevant air service for Central Texans and those who are headed there.”

Southwest Launches Myrtle Beach Service - Courtesy Southwest Airlines

Celebrating their 50th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) has distinguished itself by offering exemplary customer service delivered by over 56,000 team members, and in 2019 the carrier served 130 million guests. Southwest offers a robust point-to-point network with a strong presence across leisure and business markets. 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.

Source: Southwest Airlines