Southwest Announces New Interline Partnership With Philippine Airlines

If we had to guess which airline Southwest would partner with next, Philippine Airlines would have been near the bottom of the list.

However, that’s exactly what’s happened, and this unlikely new partnership will make travel to the Philippines easier from anywhere in the U.S.

“Each airline partnership brings unique and incremental reach to places around the globe for both carriers and gives more consumers an opportunity to begin or end their journey with Southwest,” said Andrew Watterson, chief operating officer at Southwest.

Let’s take a look at the details.

Philippine Airlines and Southwest’s New Interline Partnership

This might initially seem like a random pairing, but Southwest has been consistently adding international airline partners recently, which could indicate that it has a larger vision in mind for the future.

However, it should be noted that this is just an interline agreement, so there are no implications surrounding loyalty, earning, or redeeming miles at this time. As it stands now, the partnership allows travelers to book itineraries that involve both carriers on a single ticket and check bags through to their final destination.

Still, it should facilitate easier journeys between the U.S. and the Philippines. Philippine Airlines offers the lion’s share of nonstop flights between the U.S. and the Philippines, flying from its Manila (MNL) hub to Honolulu (HNL), Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), and Seattle (SEA). United Airlines also offers a nonstop route between San Francisco and Manila.

Southwest’s new partnership allows its flyers to connect seamlessly on a single ticket to Philippine Airlines flights at its U.S. gateways; however, note that JFK is excluded.

It remains to be seen whether this interline partnership will make a difference for flyers, especially considering that Philippine Airlines has a deeper partnership with Alaska Airlines that allows for reciprocal mileage earning and redemption, which may be more significant to many travelers.

While itineraries aren’t yet bookable on Southwest’s website, you can find them on Philippine Airlines’ site.

Final Thoughts

Southwest is thinking outside the box with the intention to provide more connection possibilities for both its frequent flyers and U.S. travelers in general. We’re sure it won’t be long before Southwest adds its fifth international airline partner.