Analyzing Southwest Airlines’ Top Intra-California Routes

Southwest Airlines is a significant player in the United States aviation market. While the carrier only has narrowbody aircraft in its fleet (and the world’s largest operator of the Boeing 737) family, the airline packs a punch domestically and in the nations it serves. The airline operates on a low-cost model, and the headquarters of its operation is based at Love Field, Dallas, Texas. The airline operates to 121 destinations across the United States and neighboring countries, and the carrier has continually been one of the largest airlines in the domestic market.

Established in 1967 by Herb Kelleher and Rollin King, the airline adopted its current name, Southwest Airlines Co, in 29171. It began operating within the state of Texas, initially between Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, before beginning interstate services in 1979. Fast-forward to today, and the airline services 42 states and many destinations across Central America.

The carrier uses its unique business model, which is distinct from other US legacy carriers. As it operates a rolling hub and point-to-point networks, it also encourages passengers to use their free baggage allowance to avoid congestion in the cabin, enabling passengers to board and disembark quickly for optimal turn-around times. The airline operates exclusively Boeing 737 jets, has over 66,100 employees, and ultimately has over 4,000 departures per day in the peak season.

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I love you, California

While the airline has grown since its inception, when it operated only within the state of Texas, Southwest now has operating bases across the country, including two within the state of California. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport (OAK) are integral to the carrier’s operations. Within the Sunkist State, Southwest operates to the following airport destinations (from North to South):

• Sacramento International Airport (SMF)
• San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport (OAK)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC)
• Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT)
• Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA)
• Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR)
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• Ontario International Airport (ONT)
• Long Beach Airport (LGB)
• John Wayne Airport, Orange County (SNA)
• Palm Springs International Airport (PSP)
• San Diego International Airport (SAN)

The sky is the limit

With the carrier showing no signs of slowing down, Simple Flying checked out the airline’s most popular Californian routes. Data is retrieved from Cirium, an online aviation analytics company based on July 2024 operations:

More than 300 operations a month

With a hefty 300 operations a month, representing more than 10.8 days on average, the link between San Diego and Sacramento is the biggest operation in the state. At a distance of 480 miles, as the crow flies, Southwest deploys differently configured 737 aircraft on the route throughout the month, so the figures vary depending on each direction:

Another hit for the airline is from San Diego to San Jose at 417 miles as the crow flies, which sees 330 flights each way in July. This represents 10.6 flights on average per day. Similar to above, varying aircraft means the seat availability fluctuates on this route:

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More than 250 operations a month

Soaring into more than 250 monthly operations, it is just one link between San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport and San Diego. At 446 miles in distance between each other, the route saw 266 operations in July, with finer details below:

More than 200 operations a month

Continuing with the powerhouse of flights throughout the state, Southwest has four additional routes that host over 200 services a month within California, which include:

This is just a snapshot of the airline’s operations, which begs the question of what other routes are key to the airline’s success within the state. From its two Californian bases, the carrier serves these intra-state destinations (including those above):

Los Angeles International Airport to:

San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport to:

• Burbank
• Long Beach
• Los Angeles
• Ontario
• Orange County
• Palm Springs
• San Diego

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