HARLINGEN, Texas — In a major development for Rio Grande Valley travelers, Valley International Airport (VIA) in Harlingen has secured a historic new flight route connecting South Texas directly to Las Vegas via Southwest Airlines.
The seasonal summer service, which kicks off in late May 2027 and runs every Saturday through August, marks the first time Southwest Airlines will offer nonstop flights to Las Vegas from the Harlingen airport. It also represents two significant historic milestones for the facility: the carrier's first nonstop destination out of Texas from Harlingen and its first brand-new route added at VIA since 1985.
In a recent interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, VIA Chief Executive Officer Tony Nevarez and Commercial Director Nicolás “Nico” J. Mirman detailed the strategic importance of adding a premier West Coast leisure connection to the airport's portfolio.
“We announced a few days ago that Southwest Airlines is starting a new route to Las Vegas—something that we always wanted,” said Mirman. “The whole Valley has been asking for Southwest to be the carrier to take you to Las Vegas and to do it from Valley International, and we're finally getting that to happen.”
While VIA has historically maintained strong routes serving business travelers and Upper Midwest connections, airport officials pointed out that local leisure options have been limited.
“If you look at our portfolio, it has a lot of routes coming from the Upper Midwest... but we don't have that many flights and routes for leisure for our people to go on vacation,” Mirman explained. “We do have the Cancun flights in the summer, and now we will have also the Las Vegas flight nonstop from here.”
Alongside the Las Vegas expansion, Southwest Airlines will introduce a fourth daily peak frequency on its mainline Boeing 737 aircraft to Austin Bergstrom International Airport during the summer season.
According to Nevarez and Mirman, the expanded Austin service significantly boosts one-stop international connectivity for Valley residents looking to fly further abroad.
“Austin's getting a lot of new international flights,” Nevarez said. “So, like Nico said, we're going to have a lot more leisure destinations. For example, Costa Rica, the Bahamas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Now the great thing about it is from Harlingen, one stop in Austin, and then you can be in Costa Rica or the Bahamas.”
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VIA Route Highlights |
Details & Impact |
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Nonstop Las Vegas (LAS) |
Saturdays (June–August 2027); first out-of-state Southwest route from VIA |
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Austin Connection (AUS) |
Up to 4 daily peak-day flights on B737s; connects to 35–40+ cities & international gateways |
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Chicago Nonstop (ORD) |
Winter/Spring seasonal service via American Airlines starting mid-December |
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Seat Capacity |
Expected year-over-year seat increase of over 20% on Southwest during summer |
The new destination reflects growing confidence from major air carriers in the Rio Grande Valley market. Southwest Airlines has served Harlingen for over 50 years.
Mirman noted that for the upcoming summer season, Southwest's total available seats out of Harlingen will see double-digit growth. “I think we're going to be on Southwest Airlines only, north of 20% more seats this coming summer,” he said, adding that VIA will see up to eight daily Southwest departures—the highest frequency since 2018.
Overall, Valley International Airport handles more than 1.2 million passenger movements annually, holding a 40% to 45% market share among Rio Grande Valley airports.
Nevarez emphasized that sustained community backing is critical to retaining and building upon these air service expansions.
“Nico's done his part,” Nevarez noted. “So my ask to the community is, if you have an opportunity, fly out of Harlingen and enjoy that flight to Las Vegas. The community supporting it will probably bring more frequency and could get us better destinations.”
Beyond route expansion, VIA leadership highlighted ongoing infrastructure projects designed to modernize terminal operations.
Among the key updates:
In addition, airport leadership confirmed plans to travel in December to meet directly with airline executives to pitch further destinations for South Texas travelers.
Booking for the new nonstop Las Vegas flights is currently open on Southwest's website.
