Southwest Airlines has today announced that it will be making significant moves for its network by expanding connectivity beyond North America without adding long-haul aircraft to its fleet. The carrier has announced a tie-up with Turkish Airlines, which is set to link Southwest’s US flights into its transatlantic service through the airline’s extensive hub-and-spoke network based at Istanbul Airport (IST). The plan at this point is to allow travelers to purchase single itineraries across both networks.

For Southwest Airlines, this move significantly expands the carrier’s reach while keeping its fleet and operating model focused primarily on Boeing 737 services. For Turkish Airlines, it adds domestic traffic that feeds into shared airports and helps fill seats and broaden overall distribution. This is ultimately a brand-building step that comes along with extremely limited overall capital risk.

A Collaboration That Is Scheduled To Start In 2026

Southwest Airlines has said that the collaboration between these two carriers is scheduled to start in January 2026, with the opening of combined transatlantic itineraries built around Turkish Airlines’ service offered from the carrier’s principal global hub. Tickets will be sold through Turkish Airlines, selected travel agents, and major travel websites. Southwest has also elected to explicitly list the following airports as key gateway hubs for these kinds of journeys:

• Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL)
• Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
• Chicago-O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
• Denver International Airport (DEN)
• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• Miami International Airport (MIA)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
• Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

This announcement frames the deal as another step in Southwest’s shift towards overseas partnerships that extend its reach without operating long-haul flights on its own. Details on things like baggage transfer, disruption protection, and loyalty program earnings were not specified in this specific release. Customers should read the partner terms attached to each itinerary prior to making any kind of purchase. Turkish Airlines has said that its network spans 132 countries across the globe today.

An Operation That Is Built Around Connecting Traffic

Turkish Airlines operations are built around supporting connecting traffic, with timed arrival-and-departure banks linking the Americas to a network of more than 350 destinations all across Europe, Africa, and Asia. For Southwest Airlines, plugging into that hub converts a mostly domestic schedule into international feed pretty much overnight. Customers can reach far beyond the airline’s own route map.

At the same time, Southwest Airlines can fill seats on flights that connect to Turkish Airlines gateways. The logic mirrors overall alliance economics, with the overall appeal being speed. Turkish Airlines provides the long-haul aircraft and worldwide reach, while Southwest Airlines operates dense short-haul spokes.

This likely matters the most for smaller US domestic markets that currently cannot support much intercontinental service. A simple connection can thus replace an extensive patchwork of separate tickets, something which is ultimately a low-capital experiment. Southwest Airlines can observe demand patterns without committing to widebody purchases or building overseas connectivity on its own. From a perspective of loyalty monetization, the carrier can drastically expand the appeal of its loyalty program with international connectivity.

A Single Ticket And Significantly Fewer Connection Worries

By offering just one ticket for passengers looking to travel overseas from smaller destinations, passengers can enjoy a more comfortable in-flight experience. There are some questions that this new kind of program raises. Most will begin to wonder if, with all of these new partnerships (and there have been multiple), the airline is interested in expanding global connectivity.

Legacy carriers from all across the globe offer single-ticket itineraries, typically those which come along with significantly higher price tags. Offering this kind of connectivity alongside a low-cost passenger experience is relatively rare, something which customers will certainly enjoy.

The airline’s biggest question is whether ever investing in its own long-haul capabilities could be a piece of the story. For Southwest Airlines, this would mark a transition away from a decades-old business model that centers around Boeing 787 operations.