Despite faltering finances, Southwest Airlines plans to launch a new route next year straight to Nashville, Tennessee, from Palm Beach International Airport .
The year-round nonstop flights to Nashville International Airport start March 6, PBIA announced Aug. 22. One-way tickets booked now cost less than $200. Flight time will take about 2½ hours. The new route comes at a time of falling profits and service cuts elsewhere in the country for the airline.
No other airline offers direct flights from PBIA to Music City. Competitors' flights stop in at least one other airport, costing as low as $115, but taking four to six hours, a search of Google Flights shows.
More: Direct one-way flights from PBIA to near Philadelphia for less than $100 will be offered
Fort Lauderdale flight take same amount of time, but you have to drive there
The cheapest nonstop flights in March from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Nashville range from $47 to $67 on Allegiant Airlines or Spirit Airlines. Those flights are scheduled to take up to two hours and 30 minutes.
Southwest has cut or trimmed service at six airports and limited hiring after reporting a $231 million loss during the first quarter of this year. In 2025, it will stop allowing passengers to choose any seat they want free of charge, the airline said in July.
Other interesting news in the air: JetBlue keeps direct flights to LAX from PBIA, resuming in October
While it cuts service elsewhere, Southwest continues to grow at PBIA. More than 310,000 passengers flew out of PBIA on Southwest during the 12 months ending in July, 17% more than the prior year, airport reports show .
“We are thrilled to add Nashville as a nonstop route from PBI, which has been a request from passengers for some time,” Laura Beebe, Palm Beach County Department of Airports director, said in a statement.
Southwest isn't the first airline to launch or expand routes from PBIA despite weak bottom lines. JetBlue, which has been losing thousands of PBIA passengers and cutting flights nationwide, will resume its seasonal direct flights to Los Angeles International Airport from October through April. It had previously started those flights in December.
Flights to Nashville can be booked online at Southwest.com .
Chris Persaud covers transportation for The Palm Beach Post. Email tips to cpersaud@pbpost.com .
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Nonstop flights to Music City from Palm Beach International Airport start in 2025
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