Southwest Airlines is expanding in the Caribbean and plans to serve its first new destination in nearly five years.
The Dallas-based airline announced on Monday that it would provide uninterrupted services to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
New flights will begin in early 2026.
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For the Southwest, access to the Virgin Islands in the United States is a particularly noteworthy destination. In addition to new islands and territories, it is the airline’s first new destination in several years.
The airline’s last new pin on the map is well known to be in late 2021, when family travel was led by Syracuse Hancock International Airport (Syr) in upstate New York during the pandemic.
In recent years, the Southwest has cut its roadmap, including exiting Syracuse itself.
This will change.
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Southwest said Monday it plans to announce a total of three brand new cities – St. Thomas, plus two undisclosed carriers.
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While the remaining two will undoubtedly be the source of a lot of speculation, the Southwest has also not disclosed the cities it intends to serve the Cyrus EE King International Airport (STT) in St. Thomas.
The airline told TPG it doesn’t want to reach its hands to rivals before the route starts selling – expected soon.
In terms of its value, Southwest’s most important East Coast growth in the past two years has been concentrated on Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) and Nashville International Airport (BNA). We will soon know whether this is one of these airports or another Southwest base, which can get the new STT uninterrupted flight.
New St. Thomas flights in the southwest
Located in the Caribbean Sea (and throughout the Virgin Islands of the United States), St. Thomas is a popular destination for travel: all the warm weather and beaches you expect in a tropical destination, but there is no need to bring a passport – that is, unless you plan to travel to the nearby British Virginia Islands, like I did on my 2017 trip.
Several new, overhaul and renamed properties have been opened in recent years, including the Marquee Marriott Marriott property at Westin Beach Resort and the spa at French Reef.
“We hope to make Southwest a simple and clear choice every time, and it’s another meaningful step in the transformation we are ongoing,” Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said in a statement Monday.
Several major U.S. airlines are currently traveling to and from St. Thomas. American Airlines has become the largest business to date, followed by Delta Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines, according to Aviation Analytics.
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