Southwest Airlines Announces Nine Flight Additions at Kansas City International Airport

Southwest Airlines announced that the carrier will add or resume service to nine U.S. cities from Kansas City International Airport (MCI) as part of a major system-wide expansion. Some cities are entirely new routes and some are pandemic-related service restorations.

The announcement comes as passenger numbers are on the increase as more and more Americans become vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just announced new guidelines for vaccinated people, stating that fully vaccinated people do not need to get COVID tests before or after domestic travel, and fully vaccinated people do not need self-quarantine after domestic travel.

"We are happy about Southwest's decision to make significant increases here for Kansas City travelers just in time for summer," said Pat Klein, director of Kansas City's Aviation Department. "We are especially excited that our travelers will have the opportunity to enjoy new nonstop destinations."

Routes to begin during summer 2021 are as follows:

• Austin (AUS) one flight per day - Service restoration
• Panama City (ECP) five flights per week - Service restoration. Was weekend only
• Miami (MIA) one flight per week, Saturdays only - New nonstop destination from MCI for Southwest
• Portland (PDX) one flight per week, Saturdays only - Service restoration
• Pensacola (PNS) one flight per day - Service restoration. Was weekend only
• San Diego (SAN) six flights per week - Service restoration
• Orange County (SNA) one flight per day - New nonstop destination
• Sarasota (SRQ) one flight per week, Saturdays only - New nonstop destination
• Destin-Ft. Walton Beach (VPS) one flight per week, Saturdays only - New nonstop destination from MCI for Southwest