The first is that it’s much further away than Vegas, making some of the connecting destinations it offers not practical for passengers arriving from Fresno (hardly anyone is going to fly to Denver to then connect back to San Diego, Oakland, LA, or Portland, for example). Denver also has very strong demand from Fresno as a final destination, finishing 2019 as the fourth most popular non-stop domestic city.ĭenver finishes second to Las Vegas for a couple of reasons. Notable among the non-stop destinations Southwest offers from Denver that it doesn’t from Las Vegas are New York LaGuardia (LGA), Washington Dulles (IAD), Philadelphia (PHL), and Boston (BOS). Denver has grown steadily to become Southwest’s largest hub in the western half of the United States, serving nearly 20 more non-stop destinations than Las Vegas. If Denver were any closer to Fresno, it would probably be the most likely initial destination for Southwest. Considering the large demand for travel to Las Vegas from Fresno, the proximity of the two airports, and the diversity of connecting options at LAS, it would be extremely surprising not to see Las Vegas as one of the first destinations that Southwest offers from Fresno.Ĭourtesy of Southwest Airlines 2.

Las Vegas is close enough to Fresno that it makes sense for both onward (eastbound) connections, as well as connections to some West Coast cities, such as Reno, Seattle, and Portland. Southwest offers non-stop flights to 55 destinations from Las Vegas, making it one of the airline’s largest hubs. Based on the continued strong demand to Vegas, the continued overall growth of passengers at FAT, and the reluctance of some Fresnans to deal with Allegiant’s “ultra low cost” business model, it’s likely that Southwest will do very well with Vegas-bound travelers from Fresno.Īnother reason why Las Vegas is such a likely candidate for service from Fresno is the abundance of connecting opportunities there. While demand has remained strong, only about 72,000 passengers flew from Fresno to Vegas in 2019, meaning there is likely room for another carrier on the route.

Allegiant Air, an ultra low-cost carrier, has had a monopoly on the Fresno to Vegas route ever since. An average of around 100,000 passengers per year flew between Fresno and Vegas in the years leading up to 2011, when US Airways pulled almost all of its non-hub flying out of Las Vegas (SkyWest pulled out of the route for the same reasons a couple of years later). For most of the late 2000’s, three airlines flew between Fresno and Vegas, including SkyWest (United Express), America West (US Airways), and Allegiant Air. The most compelling reason for this is the history of strong demand between Fresno and Las Vegas. Las Vegas is the most likely destination for Southwest from Fresno. So, let’s take a look at possible destinations Southwest will serve when it begins flying to Fresno in mid-2021. It’s also likely that Southwest will offer more than one destination from Fresno in its initial offerings Southwest serves multiple destinations from nearly all of the airports it has a presence at. Southwest began service to Palm Springs with 5 flights per day, and is beginning service in Jackson, MS with 6 flights per day Fresno would likely follow a similar pattern. It’s also fairly likely that Southwest will initially offer 5-8 flights per day from Fresno. The only detail that Southwest gave about its new service to Fresno is that it will begin in “the second quarter of 2021.” It’s fairly likely that the first flights will start in late May or early June this will give Southwest time to ramp-up service before the summer travel season, which is usually the busiest time of the year for airlines (but could be muted this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic). Courtesy of Southwest Airlines What The First Southwest Flights Will Look Like

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