JUST ANNOUNCED: Southwest Airlines Adds NEW Destination

Southwest Airlines has gone through a lot of changes this year!

The airline’s “bags fly free” policy is gone, and next year, their open seating policy is saying goodbye! Luckily, Southwest’s newest change is an addition rather than a loss to the airline. 

For the first time since 2021, Southwest is adding new destinations to its network! The airline is aiming to increase its offerings in 2026 with 3 brand new destinations.

The first of these new destinations is  Cyril E. King International Airport (STT) on St. Thomas! This adds the U.S. Virgin Islands to the airline’s tropical destinations located in the Caribbean. Service for these new flights begins in early 2026. Flights to this new destination will be available for purchase soon.

This is the first of the 3 new destinations for next year, but the rest will be announced later this summer. This is the 9th island destination that Southwest services, including Aruba, the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Turks and Caicos Islands! International service also includes stops in Belize, Costa Rica, and Mexico.

“We are listening closely to what our Customers want—from new products and loyalty benefits to new destinations,” said Bob Jordan, President, Chief Executive Officer, and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at Southwest Airlines. He continued to say, “We want to make Southwest Airlines the easy and obvious choice every time, and this is another meaningful step in our ongoing transformation.”

Commissioner Joseph Boschulte of the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism shared that this marks the expansion of accessibility and connectivity to travelers. These offerings come after the online criticism of the changes that the airline has made over the last year. Changes still to come are the new assigned and premium seating options as well as new fare bundles. 

We can’t wait to see these changes once they begin later this year! As always, be sure to keep following AllEars for more travel news and updates.

9 BIG Changes Announced by Southwest Airlines

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