Southwest Airlines Adds St. Maarten, First New International Route Since 2021

Southwest Airlines has officially announced a new international destination, a first for the airline since 2021, with service to Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) in St. Maarten. The new flights are scheduled to begin on April 7, 2026.

Southwest will start the service with daily flights from Orlando International (MCO) on April 7. Two days later, on April 9, the airline will also add peak-schedule service on Saturdays and Sundays between St. Maarten and its major hub at Baltimore/Washington (BWI).

The announcement was part of a larger schedule release from Southwest, which also included new domestic routes, such as additional nonstop service between Knoxville, Tennessee, and Denver, Colorado, which will operate seasonally on Saturdays and Sundays beginning April 9, 2026.

Southwest is likely not done yet expanding outside of the U.S. Rumors earlier this year suggested that Southwest, which already has a partnership with Icelandair, will announce a new route from Baltimore/Washington (BWI) to Reykjavik’s Keflavik International Airport (KEF) sometime this fall, launching in spring 2026.

If and when it is launched, the Reykjavik route would mark Southwest’s first-ever transatlantic flight and its first European destination. The move aligns with broader changes at the airline, which in the past year has shifted away from its longtime differentiators like open seating and free checked bags, and toward long-haul flying, premium seating, and new partnerships.

Southwest Inks Interline Agreement with Taiwanese Carrier EVA Air

Southwest Airlines is also partnering with Taiwanese carrier EVA Air on an interline agreement that will connect Southwest passengers to EVA’s network in Asia.

The agreement covers connecting flights from four U.S. gateways: Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), and Chicago O’Hare (ORD).

The interline agreement builds on EVA Air’s extensive network of partnerships, which already includes codeshares with Air Canada (AC), Avianca (AV), Copa Airlines (CM), and United Airlines (UA). It also has partnerships with Alaska Airlines (AS), JetBlue Airways (B6), Hawaiian Airlines (HA), Sun Country Airlines (SY), and WestJet (WS).

EVA becomes the third airline partner recently announced by Southwest, following Icelandair and China Airlines.