Southwest Airlines to Launch Service at Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport in March 2026

Southwest Airlines is expanding its route map with new service at Knoxville, Tennessee's McGhee Tyson Airport starting March 5, 2026. The airline will operate five daily round-trips to and from Knoxville, and has made its schedule through April 6, 2026, available for purchase on Southwest.com. This is the airline's third airport in Tennessee, joining Memphis and Nashville. Southwest is also growing its routes in San Diego with a new terminal opening soon.

Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) is set to expand its route map with new service at Knoxville, Tennessee's McGhee Tyson Airport, starting March 5, 2026. The airline will operate five daily round-trips to and from Knoxville, with its schedule through April 6, 2026, now available for purchase on Southwest.com [1]. This expansion marks the airline's third airport in Tennessee, joining existing operations in Memphis and Nashville.

The new service in Knoxville will include twice-daily flights to Nashville and daily round-trips to Baltimore, Dallas, and Orlando. This strategic move positions Southwest to capture collegiate sports traffic as the Official Airline of the Southeastern Conference and tap into tourism demand for the Great Smoky Mountains region [1].

Additionally, Southwest is growing its routes in San Diego with the opening of a new Terminal 1. The airline is set to launch daily year-round service to five new destinations: Eugene, Maui, Portland, Puerto Vallarta, and Seattle. The new terminal will also facilitate Saturday service to winter recreation destinations such as Bozeman and Spokane [1].

Southwest's expansion plans also include reinstating twice-daily service on several Midwest routes from Chicago Midway and Dallas, indicating the airline's commitment to strengthening its position in core markets. These expansions represent classic Southwest strategy: entering underserved markets with moderate frequency service while maximizing aircraft utilization through careful network planning [2].

The March 2026 implementation provides adequate lead time for marketing and operational preparation, potentially capturing spring break travel demand across multiple markets in the initial launch period [2].

References:
[1] https://www.southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com/news-and-events/news-releases/2025/08-14-2025-130521640
[2] https://www.stocktitan.net/news/LUV/tennessee-one-two-three-new-southwest-service-at-knoxville-and-dzsjbqb9j8vb.html