After posting a wider-than-expected loss of $231 million at its last earnings call in April, the Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (LUV) has been on a mission to get back to profit. For airlines, the first step is always to look at its network schedule and cut any routes that run half-empty or otherwise far below capacity in favor of those with the potential to bring in more traffic.
In the same month, Southwest cut routes such as Atlanta to Little Rock and Chicago O'Hare to Tampa while adding new ones from Nashville and Baltimore.
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This week (May 15), the airline also shared that it will run a seasonal route that is sure to please sun-seekers, sailors, and anyone else with an interest in the Caribbean: the Orlando-Nassau route will launch on June 4 and run once a day until August 4.
There is a reason the Orlando-Nassau route is proving so popular
The decision around this particular route comes, according to the airline, from data showing that 1.7 million travelers came to the Bahamas in 2023 — a 17% increase from 2022 and 3.5% increase from pre-pandemic 2019. Whether for cruises or flights, both Florida and Nassau are often the first stops for travelers embarking on a larger tour of the Caribbean.
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"We have been very strategic about driving and expanding strategic partnerships with airlines and our local and international industry partners, including our promotion board and hotel partners," Bahamas Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Prime Minister Honourable I. Chester Cooper said in a statement. "Part of our expansion includes an ongoing growth strategy in our Southern, Central, and Northern Florida source market, including Orlando, West Palm Beach, and Tampa, to attract new airlift to Nassau/PI, Grand Bahama, and our Family Islands."
The route will replace a current Southwest flight between Nassau and Fort Lauderdale and run on a smaller Boeing 737-700 (BA) plane with 143 seats. The entire flight will take just over 90 minutes in the air and is expected to prove popular among those who are interested in coming to Nassau for both a short stay and as part of a longer visit rather than doing the cruise ship stop through which most Americans first experience the capital.
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Airlines are starting to set their sights on the Bahamas (here is why)
The flight is scheduled to leave from Orlando at 11:55 a.m. and arrive in Nassau at 1:55 p.m while departing at 2:20 p.m. and getting back to Orlando at 3:55 p.m. on the same day with a different flight crew.
Over the last year, several airlines have set their sights on the Bahamas. This year's Cranky Network Awards named JetBlue (JBLU) 's new Los Angeles to Nassau flight as the "sexiest" short-haul route in the country while the airline also operates a daily flight between Orlando and Nassau.
Local airline Bahamasair also runs flights both to Orlando and a number of other cities across the U.S. but demand continues to be high as both airlines and the local tourism board seek to encourage more travelers to come to the Bahamas by plane rather than just as a cruise stop.
At the end of 2023, the latter airline resumed a twice-weekly flight between Nassau and Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
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