Southwest's New Routes: Smart Moves or Playing It Safe?

So Southwest Airlines is branching out with 7 new international routes by 2026. It's interesting to see them sticking to leisure-heavy spots like Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and St. Maarten. I mean, they're not diving into the deep end with long-haul flights, but it makes sense given their domestic focus.

What's cool is how they're using places like Kansas City and Las Vegas as starting points for some of these routes. The Kansas City to Punta Cana route is a bit of a surprise. It's not your typical hub-to-hub type move. Looks like they're betting on the local demand there.

And then there's Vegas finally getting some international action with flights to Cancn, Los Cabos, and Puerto Vallarta. Considering how big Southwest is in Vegas, it seems like a smart move to tap into those markets from there.

But it's not all growth. They're dropping some other routes at the same time, like Chicago O'Hare to Cancn. Seems like they're really trying to fine-tune where their international presence makes the most sense.

What do you all think? Is Southwest being smart and strategic with these moves, or should they be pushing for more aggressive international growth? And how do you think this will impact their domestic operations?

I think Southwest is playing it smart by sticking to those leisure destinations. They've never been about long-haul flights, so this feels like a natural step instead of a huge leap. Using Kansas City and Vegas is clever. Those are solid markets with a lot of potential for vacation travel. Dropping routes like Chicago O'Hare to Cancn shows they're fine-tuning their network instead of just expanding for expansion's sake. I wonder if this shift will impact their domestic flights much, though. Will they cut back on frequency or routes domestically to support these new international ones?