Southwest Confirms Red-eye Flights Are Coming — What to Know

Southwest would first plan to pilot the overnight flights from both Las Vegas and Hawaii in their introduction of red-eyes.

Southwest Airlines is hoping to start red-eye flights sometime in the next two years after first floating the possibility of the overnight routes a few months ago.

As part of the timeline, which was detailed by the airline’s Chief Commercial Officer Ryan Green during a travel conference last week, Southwest would plan to pilot the overnight flights from both Las Vegas and Hawaii, according to The Washington Post. He added in order to start the flights, Southwest would need to work out some technical and labor details first.

Green said the airline could fly about 50 red-eye flights per day when they launch.

“We have to be maniacally focused on being efficient,” Green told The Washington Post, adding Southwest wants to grow without “adding to the cost structure.”

A representative for Southwest did not respond to a request for comment from Travel + Leisure on Monday.

The timeline for red-eyes comes after Southwest’s CEO Bob Jordan called overnight flights in November a “logical evolution” for the airline.

“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,” he told The Dallas Morning News at the time. “So, we will be doing red-eyes.”

Red-eye flights are popular, especially when traveling from west to east either across the country or even across the ocean to Europe. To ace these time zone-jumping routes, travelers should make sure they pack the right gear to put them to sleep, pick the perfect relaxing seat, and swear off the alcohol (at least for the time being) since it can lead to low-quality sleep.

The decision to add red-eye flights comes as Southwest is in the process of redesigning its cabins for 2025 complete with slimmer new seats, adjustable headrests, and larger under-seat space. While the new seats will come with personal USB-A and USB-C outlets, they have sparked some online controversy for their svelte design.

For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.