All You Need to Know About Southwest's New Routes to Orlando

Major American Low-cost airline Southwest is launching four new routes to Orlando, Florida. 

Orlando — the second largest city in Florida after Miami — is home to several major attractions for all ages, such as Disney World and Universal Studios. The city also boasts numerous resorts and, located just 45 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, is a popular vacation destination for many tourists from around the world.

On July 15, 2023, Southwest launched three of its four new routes into Orlando International Airport (MCO). These flights are operated on a Saturday-only basis and will utilize the carrier's Boeing 737 NG and MAX fleet. 

Those three destinations are:

• Boston Logan Airport (BOS), serving New England and the greater Boston area.
• Albuquerque Sunport (ABQ), serving central New Mexico and the Albuquerque area.
• Long Beach, California (LGB), serving Southern California and the greater Los Angeles area.

The fourth route connects Orlando with El Paso, Texas (ELP). This route will operate during the winter months, inaugurating on September 9, 2023, and will also be a Saturday-only service.

[MCO,BOS],[MCO,ABQ],[MCO,LGB],[MCO,ELP]

Southwest is the carrier of choice for millions of Americans, and the airline’s 800-strong fleet of Boeing 737 NG and Max aircraft allow the airline to operate on a massive scale. The airline already considers Orlando as a focus city and this new growth only further cements the airline's presence in Central Florida.

In addition, all of the airline’s routes are designed on the point-to-point model, to minimize connections and to ensure as many nonstop routes are offered. 

Southwest also focuses on vacation destinations heavily. 

The airline therefore caters much more towards leisure travelers and will no-doubt continue to be the airline of choice for many on domestic itineraries, despite recent reliability challenges.