Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

McCarran retakes top spot for Southwest Airlines flights

McCarran

Sun file photo

Southwest Airlines planes sit at McCarran International Airport.

McCarran International Airport will regain the title of Southwest Airlines’ busiest station when the airline’s winter schedule changes take effect.

Dallas-based Southwest, the busiest carrier at McCarran, announced its winter seasonal flight changes this week and Las Vegas will gain a net of one daily round-trip flight a day when changes are completed in February.

But the previous top airport, Chicago’s Midway International, will have a net loss of seven daily flights, pushing it behind Las Vegas in the total number of flights offered. Las Vegas had been the airline's busiest airport before Midway took the top spot last year.

By Southwest’s count, the airline will have 213 daily departures from Las Vegas in February.

Southwest will add two daily round trips between Las Vegas and Salt Lake City Jan. 9 and one each between Las Vegas and Denver, Los Angeles International Airport, San Diego and Ontario, Calif., beginning that date. On Feb. 13, the airline will add a single nonstop round trip to and from Buffalo, N.Y.

The airline will remove daily round trips in January between Las Vegas and Chicago Midway; Indianapolis; Nashville, Tenn.; Portland, Ore.; Seattle; and St. Louis.

When the schedule changes are completed, Southwest will have 12 daily flights to and from Los Angeles and San Diego, nine to Denver, eight each to Chicago Midway and Ontario, seven to Salt Lake City, four to Seattle, three each to Portland and St. Louis and two each to Buffalo, Indianapolis and Nashville.

Phoenix will pick up the most new flights in the winter schedule with a net gain of 10 daily round trips. Orlando will add eight flights.

Reno-Tahoe International Airport is getting five new round trips with flights to Los Angeles International; Oakland, Calif.; Phoenix; and San Jose, Calif., being added in February and an additional flight to Denver being added in January.

Southwest uses schedule optimization computer programs to identify its most profitable routes and adds and deletes flights every season.

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