DALLAS- Southwest Airlines (WN) is gearing up to initiate overnight flights for the first time ever. Following indications of this shift last year, the Dallas-headquartered airline intends to introduce overnight flights departing from Las Vegas (LAS) and Hawaii (HNL).
Before the flights can commence, the airline needs to address some technical and labor-related matters, as Green mentioned. However, it aims to have everything sorted and the flights operational within approximately two years.
Southwest Red Eye Flights
Green noted the potential for approximately 50 red-eye flights daily at Southwest, reported Washinton Post.
Red-eye flights, colloquially named for the tired appearance of passengers’ eyes after a night without sleep, are commonplace across major airlines. Passengers often opt for them due to typically lower fares than daytime flights.
For those traveling from the West Coast, red-eye flights also offer the convenience of departing after work and arriving on the East Coast the following morning, just in time for early meetings.
Airlines favor overnight flights as they can increase revenue by utilizing aircraft that would otherwise remain inactive at airports until the next morning.
Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium Diio for a random Thursday in March reveals that Las Vegas’s Harry Reid International Airport had at least 26 overnight flights departing after 9 p.m. across nearly every major U.S. airline.
These flights, typically lasting over four hours, connect Las Vegas with cities like Atlanta, Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C.
50 Such Flights
Southwest Airlines is renowned among travelers for its unique charm, all-economy seating sans assigned seats, and complimentary checked baggage.
However, it hasn’t historically been recognized as a pioneer in travel technology. Do you recall the days of plastic boarding passes well into the 2000s or the infamous Great Meltdown of 2022?
For over 50 years, Southwest predominantly offered daytime flights within the U.S. due to limitations with its reservation system.
However, this changed in 2014 with the introduction a modern booking system from airline IT provider Amadeus, allowing the airline to launch international flights.
The capability for overnight flights emerged in 2017 upon fully adopting this platform. It wasn’t until July of the following year that Southwest began offering tickets with overnight connections.
Southwest CEO Robert Jordan referred to the introduction of overnight flights as the latest “evolution” of the airline’s business model in November.
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