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Southwest Airlines Co. said Tuesday it will be cutting 190 flights from its winter schedule, beginning in January, to ensure the carrier is optimizing its flight routes and streamlining expenses.

A spokeswoman for Dallas-based Southwest (LUV) says the changes are part of a routine schedule check that's completed every few months to ensure the carrier is operating flights that customers want, while also shaving flights from the schedule that are not currently in demand.

The spokeswoman added that traffic typically goes down in the winter months, making the removal of some flights a "normal thing" for the airline to do this time of year.

Southwest operates about 3,400 flights daily cashadvance.

The passenger carrier's winter schedule begins in January and lasts through March. An airline spokeswoman says its likely some of the eliminated flights will be back on the schedule when the airline is revving up for the busier 2009 seasons.