Southwest Airlines new routes from Palm Springs to Dallas, Chicago, Portland, & Sacramento

Southwest Airlines announced today it will add four nonstop routes from Palm Springs to Sacramento, Dallas, Chicago and Portland, Oregon.

Flights from Palm Springs International Airport to Sacramento will be offered daily year-round, while service to Dallas and Chicago will be offered daily seasonally, and to Portland on Saturdays seasonally. The Dallas, Chicago and Portland flights will be based on the Coachella Valley's tourism season.

The Sacramento route kicks off on Oct. 7 and will comprise two round-trip circuits each day to and from the state capital. The Dallas route begins Nov. 7, the Chicago route on Nov 23. and the Portland route on Nov. 20.

"We know that residents in these regions love Palm Springs for our relaxed desert lifestyle, year-round sunshine, iconic mid-century modern architecture and world famous film and music festivals --and we are thrilled that Southwest Airlines has recognized our destination is experiencing a tremendous renaissance that continues to blossom,'' Palm Springs Mayor Christy Holstege said.

Southwest started serving the Coachella Valley last November with flights to Denver, Phoenix and Oakland. The Dallas-based airline expanded service to Palm Springs in May with year-round flights to Las Vegas.

Southwest is one of a handful of carriers to announce new or expanded service to Palm Springs International Airport in recent months, and the second airline on Thursday alone.

Alaska Airlines announced Thursday it will launch seasonal nonstop service from Palm Springs to Austin, beginning in the fall. The new route kicks off Nov. 19 and will operate five days a week through April 18, 2022. The airline will fly its 76-seat Embraer 175 back and forth from Austin to Palm Springs International Airport once a day.

The new service routes are contributing to the rebound in air travel at the city-owned airport that was impacted due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to officials.

In April, the airport saw its best passenger travel numbers since the pandemic began, and officials said that trend is set to continue.

Alaska Airlines, meanwhile, previously announced new routes from Palm Springs to San Jose; Reno, Nevada; and Boise, Idaho, which were set to begin service last December but were postponed due to the pandemic. The airline successfully launched its service to Reno but quickly suspended it. The status of those routes was unclear.