With the winter sun-seeking period coming up fast, airlines have increasingly been looking for ways to diversify their network beyond the most popular destinations in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
In the last year, low-cost airlines like Spirit Airlines (SAVE) and Frontier Airlines (FRON) have launched new flights to Costa Rica and Puerto Rico, while American Airlines (AAL) expanded its Mexican network with a new route to Puerto Escondido on the Oaxacan Coast and its first direct flight to South Caicos in Turks and Caicos that has run since February 2025.
Flights that the Dallas-based carrier is slated to start running by the start of 2026 from Chicago also include St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Dutch Caribbean territories of Curaçao and St. Maarten.
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Southwest Airlines announces first new international destination since 2021
The latter island in the Lesser Antilles is a popular cruise ship stop that is also growing increasingly popular as a standalone destination.
Aviation junkies, in particular, make an effort to come there because Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) is located close enough to a large local beach where one can watch planes zoom by right from the sand.
Budget airline Southwest Airlines (LUV) is now also targeting St. Maarten with a flight from Orlando International Airport (MCO) and another from Baltimore/Washington (BWI) set to launch in April 2026.
As Southwest has gone through an extensive leadership shake-up and made several network and service changes to break away from a string of poor financial quarters over the last year, the island that is divided into a territory owned by France and another owned by the Netherlands is the first international destination the airline has added since 2021.
Related: American Airlines launches new flights to cities you want to get to
St. Maarten has seen increasing demand amid travelers looking explore it beyond what a cruise ship stop can offer. SXM airport is located on the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten (the French Saint Martin is an easy drive for different beaches and the historic port and Fort Louis fortress).
The Orlando-SXM flight will run daily from Apr. 7, while the one from Baltimore is set to launch on April 9 for twice-a-week Saturday and Sunday service.
St. Maarten is home to the Princess Juliana International Airport.
Image source: Shutterstock
A new partnership will also connect Southwest Airlines to more Asian destinations
“These nonstop routes allow roundtrip connections with more than 45 airports across the U.S.,” the airline said in a short statement on the new routes.
Southwest also announced a partnership with Taiwanese carrier Eva Air for flight connection in four U.S. cities: Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle.
The shared network will connect travelers flying from Taiwan to American destinations without a direct Eva flight, as well as help bring more U.S. travelers to the Asian island nation off the coast of China.
More on travel:
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- Government issues new travel advisory on popular beach destination
- Another country just issued a new visa requirement for visitors
The airline has in the last year taken major steps to expand its international network, with a similar partnership made with Icelandair in February 2025 and another partnership with Taiwan-based China Airlines formalized earlier in August.
In unveiling a second partnership with a Taiwanese airline just a few days later, Southwest called it “another step forward as we continue our mission to bring more choices and new horizons to our customers.”
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