Southwest Airlines 737 MAX Details and Routes

Southwest Airlines 737 MAX 8

Southwest Airlines will become the second airline to operate the new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft later this year (after Norwegian starts services this summer).

The US low-cost pioneer has now loaded its 737 MAX flights into its booking system, revealing the first routes the type will operate.

Southwest Airlines will begin 737 MAX scheduled services on 1st October 2017 with ten aircraft. This suggests they will be operating training and ad-hoc services before that date as the initial batch are delivered, so keep an eye out at Southwest bases for earlier flights.

The very first Southwest Airlines 737 MAX flight will be WN1 from Dallas Love Field to Houston Hobby on 1st October, commemorating the first ever Southwest Airlines flight in 1971.

Southwest Airlines 737 MAX Routes

This is the list of routes currently available. It is subject to change:

Albuquerque – Dallas Love Field 1 weekly
Baltimore/Washington – Albuquerque 1 weekly
Baltimore/Washington – Boston 5 weekly
Baltimore/Washington – Dallas Love Field 1 weekly
Baltimore/Washington – Las Vegas 2 daily on weekdays
Baltimore/Washington – Los Angeles 6 weekly
Baltimore/Washington – Orlando 5 weekly
Birmingham AL – Dallas Love Field 1 weekly
Boston – Denver 5 weekly
Chicago Midway – Baltimore/Washington 5 weekly (Day x67; 2nd daily on weekdays from 23OCT17)
Chicago Midway – Birmingham AL 1 weekly
Chicago Midway – Cincinnati 1 weekly
Chicago Midway – Dallas Love Field 1 flight on Day 6, 2 flights on Day 7 (2 flights on Day 6, 4 flights on Day 7 from 08OCT17)
Chicago Midway – Denver 1 weekly
Chicago Midway – Houston Hobby 14 weekly
Chicago Midway – Las Vegas 2 daily on weekdays
Chicago Midway – Los Angeles 1 daily
Chicago Midway – Phoenix 5 weekly
Cincinnati – Chicago Midway 1 weekly
Columbus OH – Nashville 1 weekly
Columbus OH – Las Vegas 5 weekly
Dallas Love Field – Baltimore/Washington 5 weekly
Dallas Love Field – Chicago Midway 8 weekly (9 weekly from 08OCT17)
Dallas Love Field – Denver 1 daily (additional 7M8 flights on weekends from 08OCT17)
Dallas Love Field – Houston Hobby Inaugural flight as WN1 on 01OCT17, 2 flights on 01OCT17 only
Dallas Love Field – Los Angeles 2 flights on Saturday
Dallas Love Field – Nashville 1 weekly
Dallas Love Field – Oakland 1 weekly
Dallas Love Field – Orlando 9 weekly
Dallas Love Field – Phoenix 5 weekly
Dallas Love Field – San Diego 1 weekly
Denver – Chicago Midway 5 weekly
Denver – Dallas Love Field 1 daily (additional 7M8 flights on weekends from 08OCT17)
Denver – Houston Hobby 1 weekly
Denver – New Orleans 1 weekly
Denver – Philadelphia 1 weekly
Denver – Phoenix 6 weekly
Houston Hobby – Baltimore/Washington 2 flights on Saturday
Houston Hobby – Chicago Midway 10 weekly
Houston Hobby – Dallas Love Field 1 daily (additional 7M8 flights on weekends from 08OCT17)
Houston Hobby – Denver 1 weekly
Houston Hobby – Los Angeles 6 weekly
Houston Hobby – Pittsburgh 1 weekly
Houston Hobby – San Antonio 1 flight on 01OCT17 as WN2, overall 2nd 7M8 flight
Las Vegas – Chicago Midway 5 weekly
Las Vegas – Columbus OH 5 weekly
Las Vegas – Dallas Love Field 5 weekly
Las Vegas – Denver 5 weekly
Las Vegas – Phoenix 5 weekly
Los Angeles – Baltimore/Washington 6 weekly (Day x6; additional 7M8 flight on Day 7 from 22OCT17, total 7 weekly)
Los Angeles – Dallas Love Field 5 weekly
Los Angeles – Houston Hobby 3 flights on Saturdays
Los Angeles – Phoenix 2 weekly
Los Angeles – San Antonio 1 weekly
Nashville – Dallas Love Field 2 weekly
Nashville – Los Angeles 1 weekly
Nashville – St. Louis 1 weekly
New Orleans – Chicago Midway 1 weekly
Oakland – Nashville 1 weekly
Orlando – Baltimore/Washington 5 weekly
Orlando – Columbus OH 1 weekly
Orlando – Dallas Love Field 7 weekly
Orlando – St. Louis 6 weekly
Philadelphia – Chicago Midway 1 weekly
Phoenix – Baltimore/Washington 5 weekly
Phoenix – Chicago Midway 2 daily on weekdays, 1 flight only on Sat
Phoenix – Dallas Love Field 1 weekly
Phoenix – Los Angeles 1 weekly
Phoenix – Orlando 5 weekly
Phoenix – St. Louis 1 weekly
Pittsburgh – Los Angeles 1 weekly
Portland OR – Phoenix 1 weekly
St. Louis – Denver 1 weekly
St. Louis – Houston Hobby 6 weekly
St. Louis – San Francisco 1 weekly
San Antonio – Dallas Love Field 1 flight on 01OCT17 as WN3, overall 3rd 7M8 flight
San Antonio – Houston Hobby 1 weekly
San Francisco – Portland 1 weekly
San Diego – Dallas Love Field 1 weekly

This list is credit to Routes Online. More services will be rolled out later in October.

Southwest Airlines 737 MAX variants

Initially Southwest will operate the 737 MAX 8 variant, with 170 of the type on order.

From 2019 Southwest will be the launch customer for the smaller 737 MAX 7, based on the 737-700 NG model, of which Southwest was also the launch customer back in 1997.

Retirement of Southwest’s 737-300s

With the new 737 MAX comes the sad news of the retirement of Southwest’s ageing 737-300 fleet. 

Again, Southwest was the launch customer for the 737-300 in 1984 and has operated hundreds of the type over the past 33 years. Now, the final revenue flight with Southwest will be on 30th September, the day before the first 737 MAX 8 flight.