Southwest Airlines announced its plans to add service to yet two new destinations next year. Santa Barbara and Fresno Yosemite International Airport will be the newest destination for the airline, as well as Southwest’s 12th and 13th destination in California.

Earlier this year, Southwest Airlines also grew in California by adding service to Palm Springs International Airport (PSP).

Per Southwest Airlines,

“Our arrival in the Heart of California, both on the Central Coast and in the Central Valley, will round out nearly four decades of investment in our California Customers and communities,” Southwest Airlines Chief Commercial Officer & Executive Vice President Andrew Watterson said. “While other airlines seem to fall in and out of love with the state, we’re focused on increasing the reach of our low fares and flexible policies in places where we expect them to make a difference.”

Along with Palm Springs, which received its first Southwest flight on Nov. 19, 2020, the addition of Fresno and Santa Barbara will position Southwest Airlines as an option in 13 California airports before summer 2021, further deepening the carrier’s commitment to the Golden State. Southwest long has carried more air travelers to, from, and within California than any other carrier, a legacy sustained in the most recent reporting of U.S. Department of Transportation data on airline passengers traveling nonstop.

This news comes after Southwest Airlines Announces Sarasota, Florida, Southwest Airlines Plans to Serve Chicago (O’Hare) and Houston (Bush Intercontinental), Plans to Serve Miami and Palm Springs in addition to Montrose (Telluride), all of which come in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and Southwest looking at ways to capitalize on additional revenue in new markets.

Do you think adding Santa Barbara and Fresno to the Southwest Airlines network make sense for the airline in the long run? Feel free to share your thoughts below.