Southwest adding 3 nonstop destinations from Pittsburgh International Airport next summer

Southwest Airlines is adding three new nonstop destinations from Pittsburgh International Airport next summer. 

The airline will start Saturday service from Pittsburgh to Panama City, Florida; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; and Savannah, Georgia for the summer season. 

In response to demand, the airport says Southwest will also increase frequencies on routes to Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida; Cancun, Mexico; Tampa, Florida; and Las Vegas, Nevada, next summer. Florida is one of the largest markets for Pittsburgh, with more than one in four passengers traveling to the Sunshine State, the airport says. 

Southwest first started service with four destinations from Pittsburgh in 2005, which the airport says marked the beginning of its pivot from a connecting hub to an origin-and-destination airport.  

Southwest has since grown to 25 nonstop destinations, carrying 26% of passengers through the airport, the most of any airline. American follows closely at 23%. 

"Southwest has been an incredible partner to Pittsburgh International Airport since its arrival over 20 years ago, helping transform air service in our region," Joe Rotterdam, the airport's president of air service development, said in a news release. "The airline has grown to become our busiest carrier, a testament to the strength of our market. From supporting our new terminal program, to adding new destinations, Southwest has consistently invested in Pittsburgh, and we look forward to building on that partnership for years to come."