Southwest Airlines is headed north, announcing flights to the Last Frontier.
The Dallas-based carrier will begin flights to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) in the first half of 2026, or by next June, Southwest said Thursday.
The airline will serve ANC from its large bases at Denver International Airport (DEN) and Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas.
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Southwest will unveil its schedule to ANC later in October, the carrier said.
The service comes amid something of an expansion spree for the airline, which has announced a flurry of new destinations this year.
ANC joins McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) near Knoxville, Tennessee; St. Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM); St. Thomas’ Cyrus E. King International Airport (STT) in the U.S. Virgin Islands; and Charles M. Schulz — Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Santa Rosa, California, as new destinations announced this year that will join Southwest’s map in 2026.
The growth comes amid deep changes at Southwest. The airline began charging its first bag fees in May and will drop its legacy open-seating policy in favor of assigned seats, including an extra-legroom premium option, in January 2026. It has also forged new international partnerships, and CEO Bob Jordan has repeatedly hinted that long-haul international flights, premium lounges and maybe even a first-class cabin could be coming.
“Everything is on the table,” Jordan said at an industry event in Washington, D.C., in September.
Southwest will compete with Alaska Airlines on both the DEN and LAS routes from ANC, schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows. United Airlines also flies the ANC-DEN route.
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