Next summer, travelers flying out of Long Beach can easily access a second East Coast destination.
Starting June 5, Southwest Airlines will begin offering direct flights from Long Beach Airport to Baltimore/Washington International Airport in Maryland.
The airport is about 30 miles from Washington D.C. and 9 miles from downtown Baltimore. The new route is the only direct flight to the D.C. area offered out of Long Beach.
It will have one option, departing every night at 8:45 p.m. and arriving at 5 a.m. EST. Various options are available for flights with stops.
The airline already offered nonstop flights from Long Beach to Orlando.
Flights for next summer are currently available to book. On Wednesday, Southwest expanded its schedule through Aug. 4, 2025.
With the addition of the Baltimore/Washington flight, guests departing Long Beach can now access 23 nonstop destinations through Southwest, two through Hawaiian Airlines and one through Delta Airlines.
More than 1.1 million passengers passed through Long Beach Airport last summer, a 14% increase over 2023. The airport’s previous record for summer travelers was 1,062,202 in 2018.
In July, city officials gathered to celebrate the unveiling of a $17.8 million renovation to the airport’s historic terminal building. The facility is a major focus of revitalization ahead of the 2028 Olympics.