Southwest Adds St. Maarten Flights, Its First New International Destination Since 2021

Updated: August 26, 2025, 10:10am CDT

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Southwest’s First International Route in 4 Years
Southwest’s Big 2025: New Policies, Routes, and More
Final Thoughts

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Southwest Airlines is giving its customers more options to fly to the Caribbean next year. The airline will launch 2 new routes from the U.S. to the gorgeous Caribbean island of St. Maarten (SXM).

Here are the details.

Southwest’s First International Route in 4 Years

Southwest Airlines is adding flights to Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten (SXM).

The airline will fly once daily from Orlando International Airport (MCO) to St. Maarten starting April 7. Weekend service (Saturday and Sunday) flights from Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) will launch April 9, 2026. Flights aren’t available yet, so it’s unclear how much tickets will cost with cash or Rapid Rewards points.

St. Maarten is the Dutch part of joint Caribbean, with the other side being the French Saint Martin. The airport, which is on the Dutch side, is infamous for its landings over Maho Beach, a popular spot to watch planes touchdown.

Southwest B737 800 takeoff MCO featured — Image Credit: Alberto Riva

Interestingly, Southwest will be the only carrier offering nonstop flights to St. Maarten from Baltimore and Orlando. The nonstop flights will give the airline an easy advantage over its rivals in those cities since customers won’t have to transit through Miami (MIA) or other connecting points.

This is Southwest’s first international route since 2021. However, it doesn’t come as a complete surprise, as the airline hinted at a route expansion earlier this year.

Hot Tip:

St. Maarten is a gateway to smaller islands in the region. From St. Maarten, you can catch a ferry or a puddle-jumper to nearby islands Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba, Anguilla, or St. Barths.

Southwest’s Big 2025: New Policies, Routes, and More

It’s been a busy year for Southwest, and not all of it has been good. The airline removed its much-loved free checked-bag policy and introduced extra legroom and premium seating — to the disapproval of longtime customers.

There has been some positive news from the Dallas-based airline this year, however.

Southwest added 4 new routes from Orlando to several Florida destinations to its 2025 schedule, and the airline also announced 4 new routes from Knoxville, Tennessee (TYS), which start next March. Plus, Southwest will start seasonal service from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Panama City, Florida (ECP) next April.

Final Thoughts

Southwest is adding its first international route in 4 years to the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. This is excellent news for BWI and MCO passengers, who can fly directly to the island.

Flights aren’t available yet, but we’ll keep an eye out for them to go live to see what pricing looks like.