Southwest to open 11 tropical nonstop routes from US airports from November

Southwest Airlines is adding 11 new nonstop international routes to its schedule, with the first launching on 1 November between Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas and Puerto Vallarta (PVR). Further routes follow in February 2027, March and June, giving travellers in the United States direct options to tropical destinations in Mexico, Costa Rica, Aruba, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and the Dominican Republic.

Key facts

• 11 new nonstop international routes in total
• First launch: 1 November, Las Vegas (LAS) to Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
• Nashville (BNA) to Liberia starts in February 2027; Aruba follows in March
• Southwest will be the only carrier flying direct on all four Nashville routes
• Demand for travel to Liberia has risen 11.8% in recent months
• No fares, flight frequencies or booking dates have been announced

Which routes are launching and when?

The Las Vegas to Puerto Vallarta service is the first to start, on 1 November. Southwest already accounts for more than 40% of all flight operations at Harry Reid International Airport.

From Nashville International Airport (BNA), the airline will begin nonstop flights to Liberia in February 2027 and to Aruba (AUA) in March. In June, Nashville will also gain nonstop service to Nassau (NAS) and Providenciales (PLS).

From Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), four new international routes are planned. Flights to San José, Costa Rica start in March, followed in June by service to Liberia, Punta Cana and Nassau.

Two further routes will link Punta Cana (PUJ) with Columbus (CMH) and Pittsburgh (PIT), starting in March and June respectively.

What is notable about the Nashville routes?

Southwest will be the only carrier offering direct flights on all four of the new Nashville routes — to Liberia, Aruba, Nassau and Providenciales. Demand for travel to Liberia has grown by 11.8% in recent months.

What this means for travellers

Passengers departing from Las Vegas, Nashville, Austin, Columbus and Pittsburgh will have new nonstop options to the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, starting from 1 November. The source gives no fares, schedules or booking opening dates, and it does not state which country the Liberia routes serve.

Southwest first flew on 18 June 1971, from Love Field in Dallas to San Antonio and Houston. The airline is described as the world's largest low-cost carrier by fleet size and passenger volume, flying variants of the Boeing 737 family, with the Boeing 737 MAX 8 the newest.