Southwest Airlines Adds St. Thomas To Growing Caribbean Network

Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) plans to expand its route network in 2026, starting with new service to Cyril E. King International Airport (STT) in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

This move adds another tropical destination to its growing list in the Caribbean. The airline expects to begin service in early 2026, with tickets available for purchase soon.

St. Thomas will be the first of three new destinations Southwest plans to announce for 2026. It also becomes Southwest’s ninth island in the Atlantic Basin, alongside Aruba, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Turks and Caicos. The airline also flies internationally to Belize, two cities in Costa Rica, and three in Mexico.

Also Read: Southwest Airlines To Equip Entire Boeing 737 Fleet With Honeywell’s Runway Safety Technology

Beyond expanding destinations, Southwest plans to roll out assigned and premium seating in the third quarter of 2025 and introduce new fare bundles and reconfigured planes with more legroom starting in early 2026.

Southwest Airlines stock gained over 10% year-to-date, topping the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s over 4%.

On July 1, Bank of America Securities released its second-quarter 2025 earnings preview for airline stocks, emphasizing airline capacity expectations for the year’s second half.

Analyst Andrew Didora noted that airline executives reported steady performance throughout the second quarter, leading BofA to project that most results will align with previous forecasts.

Looking ahead to the third quarter, TSA checkpoint data and BofA’s card-spending metrics showed slight declines in air travel demand, particularly in June compared to April and May.

Given those trends, Didora said he does not anticipate strong revenue rebounds for the quarter.

Price Actions: LUV stock is trading lower by 0.62% to $36.90 premarket at last check Monday.

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