When flights are considered, Southwest is the fourth-largest airline serving the US. However, its all-Boeing 737 fleet, rather than regional jets as extensively used by the US Big Three carriers, means it ranks third for seats for sale.

According to OAG schedule data, Southwest will have an average of 4,072 daily flights (both ways combined) in Q2 2026 (April-June). Surprisingly or not, the increasingly evolving airline’s offering has only increased marginally year-over-year. Just 19 additional daily services are now available. Southwest’s debut in Knoxville contributed.

Southwest’s Ten Longest Nonstop Flights In Q2

Credit: GCMap

The emphasis on nonstop is entirely deliberate. After all, the carrier still has many multi-stop routes that crisscross the country and which can take many hours. While they’d make a great story another time, they’re entirely excluded here. This approach helps with consistency and greater comparability, and it makes it fairer.

The following list is ordered by the maximum block time, which is measured as chocks-off-to-chocks-on. It includes taxi time at both airports, flight time, and a period for short delays. It is what’s listed in Southwest’s booking engine, in other booking locations, and in schedules.

Orlando To Sacramento Is The Airline’s Longest Service Within The Lower 48

Credit: Southwest

Southwest first served this long route, which covers 2,092 nautical miles (3,874 km) each way, in 2018. Until then, it had not had nonstop flights by any airline. Service existed through early 2020, with the cessation perhaps partly influenced by the pandemic. Nonstop flights returned in late 2024 and have operated ever since.

It is a decent-sized local market. According to the US Department of Transportation, 182,000 round-trip passengers flew between the two cities between November 2024 and October 2025. Thanks to Southwest being the only nonstop operator, it carried 95,500 passengers and thus had over half of the market. Despite this, most of its passengers—over 60,000—didn’t fly nonstop. They connected at other airports en route, including Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Houston Hobby, and Nashville.

The same source shows that Southwest filled 91.1% of seats on this long route. Of those who did fly nonstop, nearly eight in ten passengers only flew between the two cities. They didn’t go elsewhere. Given the size of the market and the locations of the two cities, that’s not surprising. But still, around 19,000 people did transfer to another flight at one or both ends.

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Hang On: Where’s Anchorage In The List?!

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

On May 15, Southwest will take off to Anchorage (and Alaska) for the first time in the carrier’s 50-plus-year existence. It plans two daily flights: one from Denver and the other from Las Vegas. Connections across the US will be vital.

Despite the length of the routes, the maximum block time was not quite long enough for them to feature on the table. Funnily enough, the maximum time for both markets in Q2 is 5h 35m. When they launch, they’re bound to be included in my weekly celebratory new routes article (see the most recent edition).