In travel news for July 28, 2023 we talk about SouthWest Airlines refocusing their flight schedules to focus more on leisure travel.
SouthWest Airlines, a major player in the aviation industry, is setting the stage for a significant repositioning with a focus leisure travel. Their future plans include scaling back on flights during the middle of the week starting in January. The shake-up doesn't stop there. Southwest also intends to fine-tune their flight schedule to line up better with the shifts in travel patterns observed post-pandemic, which sees a higher demand for leisure travel compared to pre-pandemic travel patterns.
The airline is determined to optimize their network expansion into 18 new destinations. This strategic move is estimated to bring in a whopping $500 million to the airline's pretax profits next year. The CEO of SouthWest Airlines anticipates corporate travel to slowly regain its pace, but leisure travel seems set to lead the charge for a bit longer.
In the past, Southwest's schedule would usually have about two percent fewer flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays compared to the high-demand Mondays. But, under the new plan, there will be a sharper contrast, with Tuesday and Wednesday flights lowered to about eight percent less than Monday flights. Discounted carriers, such as Frontier, have made similar tweaks to their midweek schedules.
The heart of Southwest's upcoming transformation can be summarized in a four-step plan, which aims to align their schedule more efficiently with current travel demand. Here's what leisure travelers need to know:
Less flights will take off late at night or early in the morning, times which aren't so popular among vacation goers.
Adjustments will be made to flight schedules in new markets, including their Hawaii flights, based on learned demand patterns.
Less short business-travel routes will be run, freeing up aircraft for leisure-focused medium and long-haul routes.
These changes are already visible to anyone looking at flights on SouthWest in 2024. For instance, the Midway-to-Columbus route, which is more business-oriented, will see a reduction from 143 flights this year to 118 in 2024. However, the leisure-focused Midway-to-Phoenix route will enjoy an increase from 181 flights to 232. Moreover, Columbus will be better connected to Florida, with 28 additional flights lined up for next January compared to this year.
All these adjustments come after Southwest reported a slight decrease in net income for the second quarter compared to the previous year, even though it hit a record 2nd quarter revenue of over $7 billion. The airline's revenue per available seat mile, an important yardstick in the airline industry, also took a dip, indicating a lower load factor and average airfare.
