Southwest extends flight schedule, appoints Tim Lyon as vice president pricing

Southwest Airlines extended its flight schedule on August 22, 2024, extending it through April 7, 2025. The airline is adding nonstop international services between Nashville and both Punta Cana and Cabo San Lucas/Los Cabos, as well as between Sacramento and Puerto Vallarta beginning March 8, 2025. The airline launched nonstop routes between Austin and both Milwaukee and Reno, Nevada. In addition, it launched daily flights between Nashville and Indianapolis, as well as weekend flights between Sacramento, California and Tuscan, Arizona. In addition, it is adding extra flights for the fall to support football fans during match season. The airline is launching overnight flying from February 13, 2025, which is no doubt in response to its unfolding battle with activist investor Elliot Investment Management, which had bought a $1.9bn stake in the airline back in June 2024. In its open letter to Southwest, it lamented Southwest's ""decades-old approach"", holding it back from competing efficiently in the modern industry. It added: ""This ethos pervades the entire business with outdated software, a dated monetisation strategy and antiquated operational processes."" The activist investor later publicly announced it planned to nominate 10 members to Southwest's board. In a staff memo seen by Reuters, Dallas-based airline CEO Bob Jordan said: ""This is a battle for the heart of our company and our future."" Executives have reportedly been assembling its troops, gathering support from investors and staff. The airline also appointed Tim Lyon in its newly created role of vice president pricing as it seeks to boost its pricing and enhance yields. He will oversee the carrier's pricing department, coordinating closely with business units that guide revenue management and sales. ""Tim's talent is highly regarded across our industry, and Southwest expects to benefit from his expertise as we sharpen our focus on maximising our low-fare leadership in ways that express our unique value, all-in flexibility, and standalone hospitality,"" said Southwest chief operating officer Andrew Watterson. ""We're bolstering our revenue organisation to elevate our pricing and yield management focus and drive improvement of our revenue performance."" Lyon has over two decades of experience in the industry, having previously served as managing director in various departments at American Airlines and also in several roles at US Airways prior. The latter merged with American in 2015.