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Denver International Airport (DEN) is 
Southwest Airlines’ top base by the number of flights operated. According to current scheduling data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, the carrier penciled in a total of 7,614 flights from the Colorado facility this August. This puts it comfortably ahead of Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, which had 7,114 flights.
These figures show that, overall, Denver is working very well as a base for Southwest Airlines. However, that doesn’t mean every flight in and out of the Mile High City is fully packed. Indeed, load factor data from Cirium shows that, in the 12 months to May 2026, 11 Southwest routes from Denver had load factors below 72%.
Midland/Odessa Has The Lowest Load Factor
When all was said and done, Southwest’s emptiest Denver route in terms of non-directional (averaged) load factor was its corridor to Midland International Air and Space Port (MAF). This hub serves the Texan cities of Midland and Odessa, lying approximately equidistant between the two. Across 248 rotations in the 12 months to May 2026, Southwest filled just 60.1% of its seats on this route.
This puts it well below the carrier’s average load factor across all routes during this period, which sat at 77.5%. With that being said, it was far from Southwest’s worst performer, with five routes clocking in below the 30% mark during the same period. This year, Southwest has penciled in 282 flights from Denver to Midland/Odessa, primarily using the Boeing 737-700. Denver Airport CEO Phil Washington commented on the airport’s relationship with the airline back in June.
“Southwest has been an essential part of DEN’s upward journey, helping us serve travelers and foster connections across the Americas. We’re honored to help them celebrate their success and excited for what the future holds.”
Rounding Out The Top Five
Southwest only managed a slightly better load factor on its route from Denver to Santa Rosa, California (STS) in the same period, with a figure of 60.5%. However, it is worth noting that this appears to be a new corridor, as just eight rotations operated in the 12 months to May 2026, with a total of 100 penciled in between April and December of this year. As such, this may improve going forward.
Elsewhere, Hayden, Colorado is the third and final route below the 65% threshold, with a load factor of 62.4% across 425 rotations from Denver in the 12 months to May 2026. Just the other side of this boundary, Southwest Airlines managed a load factor of 65.9% on its route to Santa Barbara, California (SBA) during the same period. This rendered it the carrier’s fourth-emptiest Denver route to May 2026.
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Fifth place sees us return to Colorado, with Southwest averaging a load factor of 68.7% between Denver and Montrose (MTJ) in the 12 months to May 2026. The carrier serves this intra-state route all year round, with a grand total of 434 rotations penciled in for 2026. Of these, 333 will be operated by the Boeing 737-700, compared to 74 with the Boeing 737-800 and just 27 with the Boeing 737 MAX 8.
Other Low Loaders
Moving further down the list, another six of Southwest’s routes from Denver averaged load factors below the 72% mark in the 12 months to May 2026. El Paso is next in line, with a figure of 70%, although, with 774 rotations during this period, it did at least have plenty of available seat miles on offer. By contrast, Anchorage, which also had a 70% load factor, had only 17 rotations.
Southwest’s Top 3 Airports By Departures In August 2026 | |
|---|---|
Airport | Flights |
Denver | 7,614 |
Las Vegas | 7,114 |
Chicago Midway | 6,544 |
Moving along, Memphis, Louisville, and Tulsa are all very tightly clustered in terms of load factor on Southwest flights to and from Denver. Indeed, the former clocked in at 70.8%, with the latter pair being a shade better at 70.9% apiece. Rounding out this list of 11 is Wichita, Kansas, with Southwest flights between there and Denver averaging 71.9% full over the 12 months to May.
