Southwest Airlines announces new nonstop flights to US capital

SAN JOSE, California – San José Mayor Sam Liccardo joined today with Southwest Airlines’ Senior Vice President Network and Revenue Andrew Watterson, Assistant Director of Aviation John Aitken and other city and business leaders to announce nonstop service between Mineta San José International Airport (SJC) and both Baltimore/Washington (BWI) and Salt Lake City (SLC) to begin Nov. 6, 2016. Southwest will offer a daily flight to BWI and twice-daily service to SLC on Boeing 737 NextGeneration aircraft which feature satellite WiFi, free LiveTV and movies. Visit www.southwest.com for bookings and information.

“SJC has done an outstanding job of adding new routes from the heart of Silicon Valley. Southwest Airlines’ expansion from San Jose to Baltimore/Washington and Salt Lake City indicates their confidence that SJC will remain the airport of choice for Silicon Valley business and leisure travelers,” said San José Mayor Sam Liccardo. “I thank CEO Gary Kelly and his management team for their investments in San José.”

Strong demand exists for nonstop service to both Washington, DC and Salt Lake City:

– The Washington metropolitan area is currently an unserved nonstop destination from Silicon Valley and was the No. 2 requested domestic destination in a recent Silicon Valley corporate survey;

– Our nation’s capital and the surrounding areas are top destinations for those traveling for high-tech and government business, and for tourism;

– Travelers can easily connect through BWI, which ranks as one of Southwest’s top-three hubs in its system, to the many cities Southwest serves including on the East Coast, Florida and many other in-demand destinations; and

– Salt Lake City, Utah’s capital, is a leading center for business, research and education, and is an important tourist destination offering beautiful national parks, world-class ski resorts, and friendly and festive neighborhoods.

“Two new nonstop routes here in San Jose, a city we’ve served since 1993, typifies the kind of difference we aim to make in connecting many of our long-time markets with time-saving service,” said Andrew Watterson, Southwest’s Senior Vice President of Network and Revenue, speaking at a news conference at Mineta San Jose International Airport. “We carry more people both to-and-from California every day—as well as within the Golden State–than anyone else with a value that no one else can even approach.”