Southwest Airlines is continuing its aggressive international expansion by signing a new interline agreement with Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA). The partnership will enable customers with both airlines to book connecting flights on a single itinerary, enjoying benefits such as through-checked baggage.

The agreement marks the airline’s seventh international partnership since its strategic pivot in 2024, with ANA joining an impressive list that also includes China Airlines, Condor and Turkish Airlines. The carrier has also hinted that more airline partnerships are on the way, ushering in an exciting period of transformation and growth for the Dallas-based airline.

Southwest’s Newest Interline Partner Is ANA

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As announced on March 10, Southwest and ANA’s new interline agreement will make it a lot easier for customers to connect, enhancing travel options for passengers flying to or from Japan. This partnership will focus on six key US gateways where the two carriers’ networks overlap — Chicago (ORD), Honolulu (HNL), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), and Washington DC (IAD).

ANA is now the seventh international airline and the fourth in Asia to join Southwest’s growing list of airline partners. Southwest’s other partners in the region are Taiwan’s China Airlines and EVA Air, and Philippine Airlines. The deal presently entails a standard interline agreement, but Southwest has suggested it will evolve in the coming months to also include Rapid Rewards redemptions. Jason Behrens, Global Account Manager at Southwest Airlines, commented,

“This partnership opens up more opportunities for customers to explore the world. ANA offers extensive domestic service within Japan as well as international service. With this collaboration, air travelers can now book interline itineraries connecting through our shared gateways in HNL, SEA, SFO, LAX, ORD, and IAD.”

Arriving On The Global Stage

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Southwest turned a few heads in September 2024 when it announced its first-ever international partnership with Icelandair, signaling its intent to establish a stronger foothold in the international market. Since then, the carrier has been on a rapid spree of striking new partnerships, adding China Airlines, EVA Air and Philippine Airlines to its roster by the end of 2025. These agreements take advantage of Southwest’s strong presence on the US West Coast and Hawaii, helping it tap into the huge demand for transpacific services.

The carrier then turned its focus to Europe, complementing its Icelandair partnership by announcing agreements with German leisure carrier Condor and Turkish Airlines. The latter deal was particularly groundbreaking, as the Turkish carrier operates the world’s largest network by number of countries served.

With these Asian and European connections in place, Southwest is effectively establishing a global “virtual network” without the multi-billion-dollar risks of maintaining a widebody fleet and flying long-haul. No longer restricted to its historical position as a point-to-point carrier with a limited international scope, Southwest can now benefit from feeder operations, funneling customers to its many international partners.

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More Airline Partnerships Coming

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With seven high-quality airline partners, Southwest is in an excellent position to capture a larger share of the lucrative international market, and the airline isn’t done yet. According to a LinkedIn post by Southwest’s Regional International Manager, Robert Cobles Cortes, the carrier has “more on the way,” although he offered no further hint on which airline this might be.

With its current list of partners offering extensive coverage across Europe and Asia, it may want to cast its eye over South America. A partnership with a major Latin American carrier would offer excellent returns and could leverage Southwest’s position in Florida, where it has a strong presence in Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Orlando (MCO).