Southwest Airlines has announced plans to launch service to a new state, and I don’t think this should come as a huge surprise to anyone.
Southwest will add Anchorage flights as of May 2026
Southwest will start flying to Alaska’s Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) as of the spring of 2026. The flights are expected to be made available for purchase as part of the next schedule extension, coming later this month.
Specifically, service will commence in May 2026, with the first two routes to Anchorage being out of Denver (DEN) and Las Vegas (LAS). Both routes are in the range of 2,300-2,400 miles, so are roughly comparable to a transcontinental flight in length. Southwest will use a Boeing 737 MAX 8 for these flights.
It remains to be seen if the routes will be seasonal or year-round. I suspect they’ll be seasonal, but that hasn’t been officially announced. For an airline of its size, Southwest has very few seasonal destinations, so that would be kind of noteworthy in and of itself.
Here’s how Andrew Watterson, Southwest’s Chief Operating Officer, describes this:
“We’re adding destinations that once seemed inconceivable for Southwest in order to build a route network that creates new experiences and more possibilities than ever before. We look forward to connecting our Customers to the rich history and culture of Anchorage and connecting the 49th state to our vast domestic network.”
Anchorage is the fifth new destination that Southwest has announced so far in 2025, and it will expand the carrier’s network to 122 airports. Alaska will become the 43rd state in Southwest’s domestic network, and Southwest already flies more customers nonstop within the United States than any other airline (admittedly that’s an interesting qualifier).
I can’t imagine this will be that lucrative, but it’s overdue
We’ve seen Southwest undergo radical changes in recent times, in just about every area. It’s not the “old Southwest” anymore, for better or worse. I think the more controversial changes are things like Southwest now charging for checked bags, and moving its seating policy more in line with that of other airlines.
That being said, Southwest is also finally getting out of its stubborn network planning habits. For so long, Southwest was so resistant to any sort of change, with everything ranging from not operating redeye flights, so not expanding into new markets.
As Southwest tries to increasingly compete with all the other airlines, one aspect of that is clear — the airline wants to provide service to as many destinations as possible, especially as part of an overall play to also make its Rapid Rewards loyalty program more lucrative. Keep in mind that as Southwest built up its huge Hawaii network several years back, one of the main motivators was increasing engagement in Rapid Rewards.
I can’t imagine these Anchorage flights will be that lucrative for the airline — they’re pretty long sectors, and there’s a lot of seasonal competition. That being said, Alaska is an important leisure destination in summer, and Southwest doesn’t want to lose customers to competitors who want to visit the 49th state.
For that matter, the whole way we frame what a “lucrative” route is has certainly changed over the years. Even at profitable airlines, most routes aren’t actually directly profitable, if you’re comparing cost per available seat mile to passenger revenue per available seat mile. It’s all part of the bigger play for loyalty.
Bottom line
In May 2026, Southwest Airlines will launch flights to Anchorage out of Denver and Las Vegas. This will be the carrier’s first time flying to Alaska, and it seems like a pretty sensible expansion. For so long, Southwest was so set in its ways and opposed to adding new markets. But with all the changes we’re seeing at Southwest, that’s no longer the case.
Ultimately Alaska is a popular destination in summer that some Rapid Rewards members will surely want to travel to, so the airline feels it needs to fly there to compete. It’s hardly the biggest change we’re seeing at Southwest, but it’s interesting nonetheless.
What do you make of Southwest launching Anchorage flights?