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Southwest (LUV) to Add New Routes for Domestic Expansion

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Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV - Free Report) announced plans to add three new destinations to its network as air-travel demand improves.

The airline will introduce services to Myrtle Beach, SC; Eugene, OR and Bellingham, WA. While flights to Myrtle Beach will start this summer, the same to Eugene and Bellingham will begin in the second half of 2021. The carrier stated that it has “opened or announced” 17 new airports, including the latest expansion initiative, since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. It further added that among these, the services which have already commenced operations have proved to be fruitful. Witnessing steady demand, the company has extended its winter service to Steamboat Springs, CO and Telluride, CO through this summer.

As travel demand continues to improve after being stalled in January due to rise in coronavirus cases, Southwest has been making efforts to expand its network. To this end, last month, it announced its intention to add services to Montana and the Florida Panhandle. Notably, the Florida Panhandle includes cities like Destin and Fort Walton Beach. The new routes to these tourist-friendly spots are likely to attract additional traffic, particularly in the upcoming summer season.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Southwest carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Transportation sector are ArcBest Corp. (ARCB - Free Report) , Saia, Inc. (SAIA - Free Report) and USA Truck, Inc. . While USA Truck sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), ArcBest and Saia carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

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