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Southwest Airlines is gearing up to begin one of its longest domestic routes. Its service from Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) to 
Orlando International Airport (MCO) resumes on November 21, after a near six-year absence. This new flight is to fill the gap for built-up leisure demand for travelers from San Jose to the Sunshine State.
Initially, these flights are set to operate on various dates in November through to January, before returning again for the 2027 Northern Hemisphere summer season.
San Jose To Orlando Will Become The Airline’s Second Longest Route From The Airport
The service to Orlando will become Southwest’s second-longest route from the California airport, covering 2,416 miles (3,888 km), and sits only behind its nonstop flights to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), which surpass 2,438 miles (3,924 km).
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From Orlando, this route becomes the longest in its network, overtaking its current year-round service to Sacramento (SMF), which covers 2,408 miles (3,875 km).
Returning To The Route After A Six-Year Absence
Southwest’s resumption of the route comes after a near six-year absence. The Dallas-based low-cost hybrid carrier operated the route previously between 2018 and 2020, and no other airline has operated the service.
Data from Cirium, an online aviation analytics company, indicates that Southwest will operate the route with five rotations this coming winter, flying on November 11 and 18, December 19 and 26, and January 2, before retiring it until the summer. Next June, the airline will fly the route on June 12, 19, and 26, and July 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31.
It is expected that Southwest will fly the Boeing 737 MAX 8 on all flights; the airline was the launch customer for the type and the largest operator with more than 320 in service. These aircraft are configured in an all-economy class layout with a total of 175 seats. A look at the carrier’s website outlines the schedule below for its near six-hour flight west:
Flight Number | From | To | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Flight Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WN3823 | San Jose (SJC) | Orlando (MCO) | 9:25 AM | 5:30 PM | 5h 05m |
WN2220 | Orlando (MCO) | San Jose (SJC) | 4:50 PM | 7:50 PM | 6h |
Expanding the San Jose Network: From Orlando to 26 Destinations
Southwest’s return to Orlando from San Jose brings the airline’s total network from the third-busiest airport in the San Francisco Bay Area to 26, and sixth in the country’s Southeast after Baltimore, Austin, Dallas, Houston, and Nashville. In all, the airline operates to one destination in the Midwest, 12 in the Southwest, and seven in the West, including two routes to Hawaii (Honolulu and Kahului). Southwest is the largest operator at San Jose, with a 58% market share and 5.8 million passengers annually, according to The Frequent Flyer.
From Orlando, San Jose becomes the airline’s 73rd route from the airport, where the airline maintains the largest share of passenger traffic between June 2025 and May 2026, with around 13.6 million passengers (24%).
San Jose operates as a key gateway and one of the region’s fastest-growing markets. It’s a popular network for Southwest’s point-to-point routes, and the airline continues to respond to high passenger volume from San Jose for tech companies or local businesses within Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area. Southwest is the world’s largest low-cost airline, with more than 800 aircraft, all of which are the Boeing 737 family of airplanes.
