[5]
By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation,
Next summer, from June 3 to Aug. 2, Southwest Airlines plans to bring back two routes from Portland—one to Nashville and another to Austin, Texas—destinations also served by direct flights offered by Alaska Airlines. Southwest, based in Dallas, offers 10 year-round and three seasonal routes from Portland. Port of Portland data shows that Southwest lags behind No. 1 Alaska and No. 2 Delta in market share at Portland International Airport. This news is very significant because Portland has closed many routes. The sign of increasing routes is helping provide optimism in Oregon’s struggling travel industry.