Southwest Airlines and Icelandair Form Partnership To Increase Connectivity

Senior Content Contributor

Updated: January 16, 2025, 8:57am CST

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What Does Southwest and Icelandair’s New Partnership Mean For You?
Final Thoughts

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Southwest Airlines, the world’s first modern low-cost airline, has announced its first-ever airline partnership with Icelandair.

This unusual pairing of a low-cost Southwest and legacy carrier Icelandair means passengers will be able to connect seamlessly between each airline’s network.

“We are very excited to have formalized our partnership with Southwest and honored to be chosen as Southwest’s first airline partner,” said Tómas Ingason, chief commercial officer at Icelandair.

Let’s look at the details and what it could mean for your future travels.

What Does Southwest and Icelandair’s New Partnership Mean For You?

The new partnership becomes official as of February 2025 and will be limited to begin.

When the partnership officially goes live, seamless connections between Southwest — the largest domestic airline in the U.S. — and Icelandair-operated flights will only be possible at Baltimore-Washington International (BWI).

It’s unclear when exactly, but Denver (DEN) and Nashville (BNA) are set to be added to the list of airports where seamless connections between Icelandair and Southwest will be possible.

Why was Baltimore (BWI) the first choice? The regional airport strategically located by the nation’s capital on the East Coast is the closest of Southwest’s bases to Iceland, so it was likely the most obvious choice.

With nonstop flights from Baltimore to dozens of destinations across the U.S., the Caribbean, and Central America, Icelandair can benefit from Southwest’s route network, which will act as a feeder onto its daily nonstop flight to Reykjavik (KEF) from Baltimore.

Southwest route network for Baltimore — Southwest’s huge route network from Baltimore reaches dozens of destinations across the Americas and the Caribbean. Image Credit: FlightConnections

Given Icelandair’s limited range of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, this partnership with Southwest gives Icelandair access to destinations that its aircraft wouldn’t be able to reach without stopping to refuel.

That said, in December 2024, Icelandair took delivery of its first Airbus A321LR, which has a significantly longer range than its smaller Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

An Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX 9 at Stockholm Arlanda — An Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX 9 at Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport (ARN). Image Credit: Daniel Ross

Whether or not passengers traveling from within the U.S. would use this new partnership to connect in Baltimore, followed by a second layover in Iceland to fly onwards to Europe, is a different story.

It is unclear whether the partnership will include reciprocal elite status benefits, but we would expect this from such a partnership.

Bottom Line:

Southwest Airlines and Icelandair have unveiled a new partnership that enables passengers from both airlines to connect effortlessly between their networks. This initiative will commence with Baltimore (BWI) as the inaugural U.S. airport offering these connections, with Denver and Nashville to follow.

Final Thoughts

The recent partnership between Icelandair and Southwest is sure to be a positive development for travelers seeking a convenient, 1-stop option, as well as affordable flights to Iceland.

We’ll be sure to keep you updated as we learn more about this unique new partnership.