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Southwest Airlines is a carrier of huge scale, and it is known for its enormous and uniform fleet that consists of hundreds of aircraft from the popular Boeing 737 family. This scale is also reflected in terms of its airport operations, with current scheduling data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, showing that the blue-liveried budget airline currently operates around 7,500 one-way departures a month from its top bases.
On this front, however, an interesting alteration is occurring. Indeed, while 
Denver International Airport (DEN) in the US state of Colorado has long served as Southwest Airlines’ top base by departing flights, April 2026 saw it finally get overtaken. The new leader is Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Nevada, with this facility also set to retain this title next month. For the rest of the year, however, things will swing back and forth.
Top Of The Pile
In March 2026, Denver outranked Las Vegas in terms of 
Southwest Airlines operations, with 7,621 scheduled one-way departures offering a grand total of 1,233,887 seats. Harry Reid International Airport, meanwhile, had 7,556 flights and 1,221,258 seats last month. This month, however, the rankings have been reversed, with Las Vegas outscoring Denver by 7,367 flights to 7,304. Interestingly, however, Las Vegas has fewer seats.
Its April total of 1,183,927 seats falls just short of Denver’s 1,185,746 despite the latter having fewer flights, which reflects the different patterns of aircraft deployment at these two bases. Las Vegas will remain on top in May, with 7,611 flights to Denver’s 7,504, but the Colorado base will regain the top spot thereafter, with Harry Reid not ranking first again until October. This summer will see Southwest grow its international network in Las Vegas:
“The only nonstop route between Las Vegas and Cancun is scheduled to begin June 4, 2026, along with new flights connecting Vegas with Los Cabos, Mexico, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.”
A Snapshot Of Southwest Airlines’ Las Vegas Operations
By diving deeper into Cirium’s current scheduling data concerning Southwest Airlines’ operations out of 
Harry Reid International Airport, we can gain a greater insight into the importance of its Nevada base. Using May 2026 as a snapshot, of the 7,611 flights that it has scheduled out of Las Vegas next month, 3,094 will use the Boeing 737 MAX 8. The smaller 737-700 accounts for 2,863 flights, compared to 1,654 for the 737-800.
As far as where these aircraft fly is concerned, Southwest’s top May destination from Las Vegas is San Diego International Airport (SAN) in California, with 320 departures scheduled. This puts it just ahead of Phoenix (316), Sacramento (302), Denver (291), and Oakland (284). At the other end of the frequency spectrum, Anchorage Ted Stevens International Airport (ANC) in Alaska only has 17 Southwest Airlines flights from Las Vegas next month.
Interestingly enough, Southwest’s May schedule out of Las Vegas this year is actually smaller than it was for the same month in 2025. Indeed, that period saw it plan 7,718 flights out of Harry Reid International Airport, meaning that this May’s grand total of 7,611 services represents a 1.4% year-on-year decrease.
Southwest ‘Not Done’ Making Changes As CEO Teases Lounges And First Class
The changes keep on coming at SWA.
How Does Denver Compare?
Southwest’s May schedule out of Denver has also decreased year-on-year, with last year’s total of 7,838 flights falling by a factor of 4.3% to 7,504 this time around. Of these 7,504 services, 3,207 are set to be operated by the 
Boeing 737 MAX 8, compared to 2,426 with the 737-700 and 1,871 with the 737-800.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) in Arizona is Southwest’s top destination from Denver by frequency this May, with a grand total of 368 flights penciled in. The carrier’s other main destinations from its Colorado base include Las Vegas (291), Dallas Love Field (256), Austin (207), and San Diego (194). Contrastingly, it plans to operate just four flights to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in the US state of North Carolina.
