Southwest Airlines is gearing up for an exciting 2026 with a wave of new destinations, fresh partnerships, and extended schedules designed to inspire more travelers to take flight. The airline announced its newest international destination, St. Maarten in the Caribbean, marking its first new international route since 2021. Starting April 7, 2026, Southwest will connect St. Maarten with Orlando and, later Baltimore/Washington, opening easy connections to more than 45 U.S. cities. In addition to tropical escapes, the airline revealed a new global partnership with EVA Air, strengthening transpacific travel options between North America and Asia.

On top of that, customers can look forward to seasonal U.S. routes linking Knoxville to Denver and Chicago O’Hare to Panama City, Florida. With these updates, Southwest continues to broaden its reach while staying true to its mission of making air travel affordable, friendly, and accessible.

One Island, Two Heartbeats

Southwest^® will bring new international service^* to Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) beginning April 7, 2026, adding the island of St. Maarten to the map of tropical destinations it serves across the Caribbean. This is Southwest’s first new international destination since 2021. St. Maarten comprises two parts: the Netherlands’ constituent country of Sint Maarten, alongside the French overseas collectivity of Saint-Martin.

Southwest will fly round-trip once daily between St. Maarten (SXM) and Orlando (MCO) starting April 7, with an expanded schedule two days later that includes peak-schedule service on Saturdays and Sundays between St. Maarten and Baltimore/Washington (BWI). These nonstop routes allow round-trip connections with more than 45 airports across the U.S. Check Southwest.com for available fares and schedules.

*subject to requisite approvals

Southwest + EVA Air

Additionally, Southwest Airlines and EVA Air, a subsidiary of the Evergreen Group, shared initial details of a new partnership that jointly will operate itineraries between North America and Asia connecting through the carriers’ shared gateway airports in Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle–Tacoma (SEA), and at Chicago (O’Hare).

EVA becomes the third airline partner announced by Southwest. Interline journeys that pair Southwest-operated service over North America with connecting transpacific flights operated by EVA Air are now available for sale through EVA Air booking channels and third-party travel sites.

Rocky Top to the Rockies

In addition to announcing new partners and locations, Southwest also introduced new routes in its schedule aimed at giving Customers time-saving ways to get to where they want to go. Recently, Southwest announced new service at Knoxville, Tennessee, and today published additional nonstop service between Knoxville and Denver, which will operate seasonally on Saturdays and Sundays beginning April 9, 2026.

From Lake Shore to the Gulf Shore

A new seasonal route will link Chicago O’Hare and Panama City, Florida, on Saturdays beginning April 9, 2026.

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.

Southwest Airlines Co. operates one of the world’s most admired and awarded airlines, offering a one-of-a-kind pairing of value and Hospitality at 117 airports across 11 countries, with new service in 2026 now for sale to St. Thomas, USVI, Knoxville, Tenn., and St. Maarten. Southwest took flight in 1971 to democratize the sky by offering friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel, and now carries more air travelers within the United States than any other airline¹, more than 140 million enplaned Customers in 2024 alone. By empowering its more than 72,000² people to deliver unparalleled Hospitality, the maverick airline cherishes a passionate loyalty and leverages a unique legacy and mission to serve communities around the world by harnessing the power of its People and Purpose to put communities at the Heart of its success.

1. Based on U.S. Dept. of Transportation quarterly Airline Origin & Destination Survey as of Q1 2025
2. Fulltime-equivalent active Employees as of June 30, 2025

ABOUT EVA AIR

EVA Air was recently recognized with its tenth consecutive SKYTRAX 5-Star Airlines award and has been deeply rooted in North America for more than 30 years, offering 89 weekly passenger flights on routes linking Taipei with Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Houston, New York, Vancouver, and Toronto. EVA Air continues to play a key role in connecting North America with Asia. Beginning October 3rd, the airline will launch flights between Taipei to Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) and recently celebrated its tenth year of flying between Houston and Taipei.