Southwest Airlines has opened its summer 2027 schedule with new leisure routes from Austin and Nashville, including several beach destinations. The details below follow a report published on October 2, 2026 by The Points Guy. Exact dates and frequencies for most routes were not given, so this article separates what is stated from what you will need to check on the airline’s own booking pages.
The window
The report says the new service runs during the peak summer season, between June 3 and August 2, 2027. It also says Austin’s routes begin in June. It does not provide a start date for each individual route, which means the specific day you can fly will depend on the schedule the airline publishes when you search.
New Austin routes to resort destinations
Three of the new Austin routes head to popular resort areas, each described as weekend service:
- Austin to Liberia, Costa Rica, the gateway to the Guanacaste coast.
- Austin to Nassau, the Bahamas.
- Austin to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Weekend service generally means a limited number of flights per week, timed around Saturdays and Sundays. That suits a standard seven-night package that starts and ends on a weekend, but it leaves little flexibility if you want to stay six or ten nights. If you have only a few possible arrival days, the pattern of flights should shape your dates before the resort does.
New Nashville routes
From Nashville, the report lists new routes to Nassau and to Providenciales in Turks and Caicos, along with a route to Boise. No frequency was given for the Nashville routes, so we cannot say how many days a week they operate. The report also names a Nashville to Bozeman service as returning from 2026.
Other routes in the announcement
The same schedule release includes domestic additions that are not beach trips. Austin gets new weekend service to Savannah/Hilton Head and Saturday service to Bozeman, and the airline is returning daily seasonal service from Austin to Portland, last flown in 2018, and Saturday seasonal service to Sarasota-Bradenton, last flown in 2023. San Diego gains seasonal Sunday service to Oklahoma City, and returning seasonal routes connect San Diego with Bozeman, Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio.
What is not stated
- Exact start dates for each route.
- Frequencies for the Nashville routes.
- Fares. None are quoted, and we will not guess at them.
- Aircraft type for each route.
- Any government approval conditions. The report does not mention them, but international routes can be adjusted if a regulator or airport slot changes.
Why a summer schedule matters for resort planning
Summer is hurricane season in the Atlantic, which officially runs from June 1 to November 30. That does not mean a trip is unwise, but it does mean your booking terms matter more. Our guide to Aruba versus the Bahamas explains how storm exposure differs between island groups, and our Bahamas and Guanacaste pages show the resort areas these flights would serve.
Summer in the Caribbean and Costa Rica is also a good time to read resort cancellation terms with care, because the weather and the school calendar both influence what is available. Costa Rica’s Pacific coast is typically in its green season at that time, with afternoon rain common, a pattern that suits some travellers and frustrates others.
Check the transfer, not just the flight
A nonstop flight saves hours, but it does not shorten the road from the airport. Liberia’s airport is a drive from many Guanacaste resorts, Punta Cana’s airport sits close to the main resort strips, and Nassau’s airport is on the island’s western side with a short transfer to Paradise Island and Cable Beach. Check the transfer time and the cost for your chosen property before you commit to a flight, and see our guide to how far from the airport your resort should be.
Practical steps
- Wait until the specific date you want shows as bookable on the airline’s site, and do not rely on route announcements alone.
- Book refundable or changeable resort rates until the flights are confirmed and priced.
- Check baggage rules and any change-fee policy at the time you book, because airline policies can differ from what was in force when the route was announced.
- Read our guide to check-out times and departure day so your return flight matches your resort schedule.
This article reports a public schedule announcement. We have no fare information and are not affiliated with the airline. We will update it if the carrier releases firmer dates.