Gun shy for decades to operate flights outside the States, the low-cost carrier has rapidly ramped its route map into the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. Following the finalization of its merger with AirTran, Southwest inherited the slots, certificates, and reservation system that allowed it to expand its operation overseas. Southwest has been in operation for nearly 50 years, but what most travelers don’t realize is that the airline’s international flight network only took off in 2014. Southwest Serves 14 International Destinations in 10 Countries Outside of America Since Southwest fares can only be searched on their own website, and of course listed here at Airfarewatchdog, you won't find any of Southwest's international options appearing on meta searches like Google Flights, Kayak, or Expedia. While its network isn't as extensive as some other US-based carriers, Southwest's foreign flight offerings regularly pave the way in competitive pricing on these routes. The pandemic has drastically shifted Southwest's route network with 17 cities opened since March 2020 alone, and CEO Gary Kelly made clear that those are the new priority before an international expansion could be considered.As America’s largest domestic carrier, Southwest Airlines' international service is often overlooked, leaving many great deals for flyers to fall between the cracks. Southwest not only lacks international flight to the north but also a lack of airline partners to provide the service on its behalf, forcing customers to look elsewhere.Īnd with newly opened US markets on which to focus, Southwest's Canadian debut will likely be delayed even further. Flights to Vancouver will be offered from New York and Boston as part of a new partnership with American Airlines dubbed the 'Northeast Alliance.'Ĭonquering Canada would also better enable Southwest to compete with its West Coast rival as Alaska Airlines flies to Canadian cities like Vancouver, Victoria, and Calgary. JetBlue Airways was able to overcome its Canada problem and will launch flights to American's northern neighbor for the first time ever in 2022. Canadian citizens returning home from the US have been flying to destinations like Buffalo and then crossing the land border to avoid a quarantine imposed on those arriving in Canada by air. All three cities are miles from the US-Canada border and attract a multi-nationality clientele from both sides of the international boundary.Īnd during the pandemic, serving US borders cities is effectively serving Canada. The closest Southwest comes to serving Canada is through US border cities like Buffalo, New York Detroit, Michigan and its soon-to-be newest destination, Bellingham, Washington.

'Even if we tackle that technology challenge, I don't know that we would have airplanes to be able to add those new markets,' Kelly said in a recent earnings call. Southwest has kept its eye on Canada and identified '5, 6, 7 really nice markets,' CEO Gary Kelly said, but the focus, especially with the continued closure of the US-Canada border, has been its recent domestic expansion. Read More: The 16 most outrageous things Boeing employees said about the company, 737 Max program, and each other in released internal emails The problem isn't insurmountable but one that Southwest hasn't prioritized ahead of other projects like preparing its Boeing 737 Max fleet for Hawaii flights, Nealon said. Canadians purchasing tickets would have to do so in Canadian dollars, which Southwest's system isn't set up to handle.

Southwest airlines destinations