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Southwest Airlines has flown internationally for 12 years. The hybrid operator’s inaugural service beyond the US border was on July 1, 2014. Six routes launched on that day: Baltimore to Aruba, Montego Bay, and Nassau, Atlanta to Aruba and Montego Bay, and Orlando to Montego Bay.
Between July 2014 and July 2026, the airline’s schedule submission to Cirium Diio indicates that no more than 93 daily international departures existed. The 100+ daily flights milestone will now be broken, albeit only briefly. Nonetheless, given Southwest’s enormous domestic operation, the international market will only account for 1% of its services through next April.
Southwest Plans 100+ Daily International Flights
The carrier’s schedule is currently visible through April 5, 2027, with services bookable until that date. Between August 1, 2026, and that spring day next year, Southwest plans a total of 10,703 international departures. Compared to August 1, 2025, to April 5, 2026, 11% more services have been added. As it is from a relatively small foundation, it will always look good on a percentage basis. Still, when all airlines are included, the US’s collective international offering has risen by a minuscule 0.4%.
Southwest plans an average of 39 daily international departures through April 5. As always, this tells just one part of the picture. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays between August 25 and September 30, only 20 daily outbound flights will be available. This reflects those days being far less popular for travel.
In contrast, Saturdays from March 13 to April 3, at least for now, will see a record-breaking 102 daily departures. Generally, an increasing number of airlines are adding Saturday-only service, or weekend-only service, which reflects them being the two most popular days for foreign getaways. The number of Saturdays with that many Southwest flights is likely to grow as the airline’s schedule is extended. The growth partly reflects more time-limited, low-frequency flying for Spring Break.
The Airline Will Serve These 14 Destinations
Let’s stick with August 2026 to next April. In this period, Southwest will fly to 14 international airports in the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico, as summarized below. St. Maarten is new for 2026.
In the previous 12 years, Southwest has ceased flying to four places outside the US. The Cuban destinations of Santa Clara and Varadero saw the airline’s frames in 2016 and 2017, while Mexico City did so between 2014 and 2019 and Cozumel from 2010 to 2024. Varadero, which has the nickname Playa Azul because of a huge stretch of white sand and turquoise water, was Southwest’s first airport in Cuba.
% Of Southwest’s International Services: Aug. 1, 2026, to Apr. 5, 2027* | Destination | Routes** |
|---|---|---|
32.1% | Cancun | Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Chicago Midway, Columbus, Denver, Houston Hobby, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas (new for 2026), Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Antonio |
19.8% | Los Cabos | Austin, Chicago Midway, Denver, Houston Hobby, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas (new for 2026), Nashville, Oakland, Orange County, Phoenix, St. Louis, Sacramento, San Diego |
8.9% | Puerto Vallarta | Austin, Denver, Houston Hobby, Las Vegas (new for 2026), Orange County, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Diego |
8.4% | Montego Bay | Baltimore, Chicago Midway, Houston Hobby, Kansas City, Nashville, Orlando, St. Louis |
6.4% | Punta Cana | Baltimore, Chicago Midway, Columbus (new for 2027), Houston Hobby, Kansas City, Nashville, Orlando, St. Louis |
5.3% | San José | Austin (new for 2027), Baltimore, Denver, Houston Hobby, Nashville (new for 2027), Orlando (planned flights from Las Vegas have been removed) |
3.4% | Aruba | Baltimore, Orlando, Nashville (new for 2027) |
2.9% | St. Maarten | Baltimore, Orlando |
2.5% | Nassau | Baltimore, Orlando |
2.3% | Liberia | Baltimore, Denver, Houston Hobby, Nashville (new for 2027) |
2.3% | Havana | Tampa |
2.1% | Belize City | Baltimore, Denver, Houston Hobby |
1.8% | Grand Cayman | Baltimore, Orlando |
1.8% | Providenciales | Baltimore, Orlando |
* Rounded for easier viewing | ** Known as of July 22, and subject to change. Excludes Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, which are US territories and thus considered domestic |
Southwest From Baltimore To Providenciales
Covering 1,066 nautical miles (1,974 km) each way, this airport pair has been part of Southwest’s network since 2020. Cirium shows that it has always had few flights because it has always been a Saturday-only operation. Slightly more departures are planned in 2026 than in any year since 2022, with both the 137-seat Boeing 737-700 and the 175-seat 737-800 scheduled. Until this year, only the 737-700 had been used.
In the 12 months to April 2026, the US Department of Transportation indicates that Southwest transported 6,245 round-trip passengers between Baltimore and Providenciales. Just 71.5% of seats were filled, which was eight or so percentage points lower than the airline’s average international load factor from the Maryland airport. Booking data indicates that approximately 63% of passengers connected to another flight in BWI. Given the weekly-only operation, all the transfer markets had tiny numbers of passengers.
