Southwest Airlines has renewed its lease and beefed up its flight schedules for the next year, reaffirming its commitment to be the dominant operator of Dallas Love Field (DAL) until at least the 2040s. The City of Dallas granted a 15-year extension to Southwest with significant improvements planned as well.
According to reports, America’s largest domestic carrier is resuming two previously canceled routes while making three seasonal destinations part of the regular repertoire. The year of 2026 will see over 200 daily departures on peak days at DAL and over 10 million annual travelers are expected.
Beginning March 5,2026, Southwest will bring back twice-daily regular flights to 
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers International Airport (OKC). Each of these popular destinations had previously had service from Love Field but the routes were dropped in recent years.
The OKC to DAL route was frequently requested by patrons of Will Rogers according to the city. The announcement that Southwest will renew flights from Love Field to Will Rogers Airport was welcome news for local frequent flyers. In comments reported by Fox 25 News, Director of Airports Jeff Mulder said:
“I know Oklahoma City will be happy to hear that Dallas Love Field flights are returning. Southwest Airlines served the route until January 2020, and it has been a frequent request of local travelers to bring that flight back. We appreciate Southwest’s ongoing commitment to our community and passengers.”
Seasonal Favorites Become Regular Choices
Also starting on March 5 of next year, the popular seasonal destinations of 
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Portland International Airport (PDX), and 
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) will each be assigned one daily flight out of Love Field. The Dallas Morning News reports that the peak schedule for spring of 2026 will see 207 departures per day out of Love Field.
Other bases around the country are also expanding under plans for a 14-route expansion that will add more flights from Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), Nashville International Airport (BNA), 
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), and 
San Diego International Airport (SAN).
Next year will see 
McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) near Knoxville, Tennessee, connected to Love Field with daily flights, beginning March 5, 2026, like the other recently announced additions. Coverage from The Points Guy highlights that Southwest has not added new destinations in years, but recent months have seen back-to-back announcements of new routes.
Love Field: Where It All Started
Photo: Robert V Schwemmer | Shutterstock
Three months ago, Southwest Airlines renewed its lease as resident to 18 of the gates at Love Field, along with plans for a number of upgrades. The existing lease was set to expire in 2028. The city agreed to an early renewal that extends until 2043 with plans to update infrastructure for the expected growth in traffic in a move to keep operating costs and customer prices stable. As 
Alaska Airlines departs in 2025, only Southwest and 
Delta Air Lines will be resident at DAL in 2026.
According to the City of Dallas, Love Field served 16 million flyers in 2024 and is expected to continue growing year over year. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson commented: “For over 50 years, Southwest has been the cornerstone of Dallas Love Field Airport and a key economic partner to our city… I am excited to see our partnership with Southwest move forward stronger than ever.”
- IATA Code
-
WN
- ICAO Code
-
SWA
- Hub(s)
-
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Dallas Love Field, Denver International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Houston Hobby Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Midway International Airport, Oakland International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
- Year Founded
-
1967
- CEO
-
Robert Jordan
Love Field is where the airline got its first start and has remained its home base despite the meteoric rise to become the nation’s largest domestic carrier, the biggest US-based low-cost carrier, and the world leader in Boeing 737 operation. Southwest has over 800 of the prolific 
Boeing narrowbody series in its fleet and orders for more than 500 of the new 737 MAX on the books.
