Southwest Airlines reports over 3,900 daily movements at busiest airports

Denver International Airport joined Southwest's network in January 2006 with just seven routes and now handles a significant portion of the airline's domestic flights. Although Denver is not Southwest's leading hub for international flights—it ranks fourth behind Houston Hobby, Orlando, and Baltimore—it remains pivotal due to its large volume of domestic connections.

Houston Hobby stands out as Southwest’s primary international gateway with eight destinations across Mexico and Central America. Of its 327 daily movements at Hobby, only about 7% are international flights.

Passenger connectivity plays a crucial role in Southwest's operations at Denver. Data from the US Department of Transportation indicates that in 2024, more than half (53%) of passengers at Denver were connecting to other flights. The Dallas Love-Denver-San Francisco route recorded particularly high traffic levels among connecting passengers.

While many travelers use Denver as a transit point, local traffic varies significantly by route. For instance, between San Antonio and Denver only about one-quarter of passengers connect to other flights while nearly all travelers on Colorado Springs-Denver journeys continue onward.