Southwest red-eye flights still in pipeline, don't bank on overnight travel this year
Recent headlines about Southwest Airlines sent some customers searching for the possibility of overnight flights, and while the carrier has plans to work towards red-eyes, it has yet to reveal when or where those routes could be available to travelers.
The Washington Post first reported information about red-eye flights with Southwest, which is something the airline has previously stated publicly is part of its business plan, but is still a few years out.
During a recent travel conference that spurred interest in the news, Southwest Chief Commercial Officer Ryan Green said that when it does come to fruition, overnight routes will likely only account for a low number of flights in the carrier's schedule, around 50 per day.
A representative for the Dallas-based airline confirmed to ABC News that overnight flying has long been in the Southwest pipeline, but is not yet near an announcement for bookable travel.
The representative for Southwest also confirmed that Green mentioned leisure markets like Hawaii or Las Vegas as potential red-eye flight destinations with high traveler demand.
Last fall, CEO Bob Jordan stated that Southwest -- the largest low-budget carrier -- saw red-eyes as a "logical evolution" among its competitors.
The Southwest executive added that in order to launch these flights, the airline would need to work out technical and labor details.
