Southwest adds new San Jose nonstop flights to eight cities
SAN JOSE >> Southwest Airlines is adding new nonstop routes to eight cities from Mineta San Jose International Airport, an expansion that includes the low-cost air carrier’s first international service out of San Jose, the company announced Monday.
The new nonstop routes include:
• Cabo San Lucas in Mexico
• Albuquerque, N.M.
• Boise, Idaho
• Houston (Hobby)
• New Orleans
• Orlando, Fla.
• Spokane, Wash.
• St. Louis, Mo.
The air carrier also is increasing the number of its flights to Chicago-Midway; Dallas-Love; Phoenix; Seattle; and Portland, Oregon.
“Southwest has been investing in San Jose for nearly 25 years, connecting our customers to what is important in their lives with more nonstop options to where they want to go,” Southwest’s Vice President Controller Leah Koontz said Monday.
All told, Southwest Airlines is adding 80 weekly flights from San Jose, starting as early as March, 2018.
“Southwest’s decision to offer nonstop service to many new destinations and to add additional flights to existing destinations brings welcome news to business and leisure travelers throughout Silicon Valley,” San Jose’s Mayor Sam Liccardo said.
Experts pointed to the sturdy economy in Santa Clara County as one of the factors behind the Southwest Airlines expansion at the San Jose airport.
“You are seeing job growth, population growth, more companies, plus the convenience of flying out of San Jose rather than San Francisco,” said Stephen Levy, director of the Palo Alto-based Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy. “You see fewer flight delays out of San Jose than San Francisco.”
The job market in Santa Clara County has been robust for the last several years, despite some sluggishness during the first four months of this year.
The total number of payroll jobs in Santa Clara County grew 2.9 percent during 2016. That South Bay employment expansion came on the heels of several years when job growth increased in the range of 3.5 percent to 4 percent.
“Looking ahead, these airlines see the Google expansion, Apple and Facebook expanding, BART coming to San Jose, highspeed rail,” Levy said. “San Jose is becoming a major transportation center.”
A number of air carriers have announced expansion plans in San Jose in recent months.
In March, Alaska Airlines disclosed new routes that would connect San Jose with Los Angeles; Tuscon, Arizona; and Austin, Texas.
Frontier Airlines in July announced a $29 introductory fare with service to four cities. Frontier will begin nonstop service to Denver on Oct. 5 and to Las Vegas on Nov. 1. Nonstop service to Austin and San Antonio, Texas will begin next spring. The new service would mark Frontier’s first flights from San Jose.
“As we see airlines such as Alaska, Frontier, and now Southwest, and more international airlines recognizing the importance of expanding service to San Jose, that investment translates to better service and fewer delays for our residents and businesses,” Liccardo said.