Southwest to Add Newark Routes

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "It's not revolutionary, but a small Moleskine notebook is my one travel must-have. It's great for noting things you want to remember and it takes up hardly any space in your bag."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

Travel Motto: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window."

See recent posts by Carl Unger

Want to receive stories like this every day? Subscribe to our free Deal Alert newsletter!

Southwest announced today it will expand service from Newark International Airport next year, adding flights to Phoenix, Houston, Baltimore, and Denver, with service beginning June 5.

Here’s a breakdown of the new routes:

Newark to Baltimore: three daily nonstops
Newark to Denver: three daily nonstops
Newark to Houston: two daily nonstops
Newark to Phoenix: two daily nonstops

Southwest already has eight daily nonstop flights planned—six to Chicago (Midway) and two to St. Louis—so the ten new flights bring the total to 18, exactly the number Southwest leased from Continental back in August (well, it leased 36 take-off and landing slots, enough for 18 daily round-trips). So even though Southwest hasn’t actually begun flying from Newark, and won’t until late March, its full initial schedule is already set.

The new routes make a lot of sense. Southwest will route Florida-bound traffic through Baltimore, and the handful of Midwestern cities provide numerous options for westbound travelers. Notably but unsurprisingly absent is Boston—notable only because JetBlue added a Boston-Newark route in an apparent counterstrike against Southwest moving to Newark, and unsurprising because a Boston-Newark flight would only make sense if Southwest wanted to jump into the overheated Northeast shuttle market. That’s not Southwest’s style, and the cities it chose do far more to integrate Newark into its route network.

The airline is taking advantage of its longest booking window ever to offer introductory sale fares on the new routes. Book by Thursday for travel June 5 through August 12.

Readers, now that Southwest’s Newark service is finalized, what do you think?

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.