Southwest Airlines has added new service to 2 hot vacation destinations ahead of the potential summer travel boom
Patrick T. Fallon /AFP/Getty Images
- Southwest Airlines will begin offering new services to Florida and Montana.
- This includes Florida's Destin-Fort Walton Beach and Montana's Bozeman Yellowstone airports.
- Southwest has been drastically expanding its flight services since last year.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
Southwest Airlines will begin offering flights to Florida's Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport and Montana's Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport in May ahead of the potential summer travel boom.
Travel, especially by air, dropped significantly in 2020 as COVID-19 first began taking its hold on the US. But now, the travel and hospitality industry is hoping that pent-up demand and the continuing vaccine rollout will lead to a big spike in travel this summer.
As a result, companies are gearing up for this potential boom, including Southwest Airlines. In the last year, Southwest has dramatically expanded its flight offerings with new services to locations like Palm Springs, California, Cozumel, Mexico, and Miami.
Now, the airline has added additional flights to two travel hotspots: Florida and Bozeman, Montana.
Bozeman, Montana - known as "Boz Angeles" - has become a hot destination, especially for wealthier travelers looking to trade city life for a break in nature. Bozeman also been named one of the fastest-growing cities in the US and offers close access to hotspots like Yellowstone National Park.
This will be Southwest Airline's first destination in Montana. Flights to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport will take off from airports in Denver and Las Vegas starting at $40 beginning May 27.
On the opposite end of the climate spectrum, Florida has also emerged as a top travel destination during the COVID-19 pandemic due to its warm weather and more relaxed restrictions. Southwest already flies to 10 other airports in Florida but decided to expand its offerings in the state for "winter-weary families" looking to get away to warm destinations, Andrew Watterson, Southwest Airlines' executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said in the press release.
Direct Southwest flights to Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport can be taken starting May 6 from these four airports: Dallas Love Field, Baltimore/Washington, Nashville, and Chicago Midway, the latter starting June 6. These flights will start at $70.