Southwest Airlines Launches Redeye Flights

As of Thursday, February 13, 2025, Southwest Airlines has launched redeye lights.

Through 2017, Southwest used a system that had to be reset each night, forcing all flights to land by 11:00 PM PT. Southwest now uses Amadeus and its recently-signed contracts with both pilots and flight attendants now allow for redeyes.

As of February 13, 2025, Southwest launched the following redeye flights:

• Las Vegas (LAS) to Baltimore (BWI)
• Las Vegas (LAS) to Orlando (MCO)
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Baltimore (BWI)
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Nashville (BNA)
• Phoenix (PHX) to Baltimore (BWI)

Southwest says, “Redeye flying, coupled with continued reductions in turn-time through new technologies and procedures, is expected to provide incremental revenue and cost savings, enabling Southwest to fund nearly all new capacity over the next three years without incremental aircraft capital deployment.”

To celebrate, Southwest held gate parties in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Phoenix and provided passengers with eye masks…a new amenity for Southwest.

My original story is below.

Southwest Airlines has floated the idea of redeye flights since 2017, but it now appears the Texas-based carrier will finally add overnight flights to the schedule starting in February 2025.

Southwest Airlines Redeye Flights Are On The Horizon

Domestic redeye flights, flights that depart late and arrive early the following morning, are both loathed and praised by flyers. Even if you are able to sleep on planes, a flight time of 3-5 hours is hardly enough time for a solid rest. On the other hand, you can go to bed on one side of the country and wake up on the other: it is a very efficient way to travel.

For years the reservation system used by Southwest Airlines prevented the airline from operating redeye flights. In fact, the antiquated system required taht all flights land by 11:00 pm. That changed in 2017 when Southwest switched to Amadeus, but six years later the carrier still has not introduced redeye flights.

That policy will appear to change in the months ahead according to Southwest CEO Bob Jordan in an interview with the Dallas Morning News:

“It’s a logical evolution for us. We have the aircraft, it’s a great way to use an asset that you already have and use it more productively which means more hours in the day. So, we will be doing redeyes.”

Redeyes are planned to launch on Feburary 13, 2025 with routes from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Phoneix.

Expect redeye contracts to be addressed in the new pilot contract, currently under negotiation.

CONCLUSION

Airlines make money when their planes are in the air, not on the ground. Southwest is unique among US carriers in grounding its entire fleet overnight. Although there may be contractual issues to work out with pilots, it seems only a matter of time before Southwest adds redeye flights of its own.

Would you take a redeye flight on Southwest Airlines?

image: Southwest Airlines