Southwest Airlines eyes expansion & codeshares for international growth: CAPA Latin America Summit

Southwest Airlines appears to be moving closer to forging interline and codesharing pacts with other airlines, now that it has the technology in place to foster those relationships, and has a framework to negotiate codeshare and interlining tie-ups with its pilots.

The airline believes the business case for creating new airline partnerships remains robust, and codeshares could provide Southwest with an additional revenue stream that could reach millions annually.

As Southwest evaluates potential airline partners, the airline continues its international expansion, capping off 2017 with the introduction of a new market, Turks and Caicos. For now, Southwest is obviously targeting point of sale US for its international network, but the airlines is examining expansion of its international services - at some point - deeper into South America, as new generation narrowbody aircraft open up new route possibilities.