Southwest Airlines and Icelandair have announced plans to officially launch an interline partnership in February, marking a significant shift for Southwest, which has largely avoided airline partnerships in recent decades. The collaboration builds on a memorandum of understanding the two carriers reached in September.
The partnership will initially allow customers to book shared itineraries through Icelandair's booking channels, with the first connection point set in Baltimore. Additional connection hubs in Denver and Nashville are slated to be added later in the year, providing more flexibility for travelers.
While Icelandair itineraries will soon be accessible to Southwest customers, Southwest itself will not sell Icelandair flight segments through its booking channels until 2026. The delay is tied to Southwest's plans to implement assigned seating, which is required to integrate partner airline bookings.
This partnership marks Icelandair as Southwest's first airline partner in decades. The two carriers previously had an alliance in the 1990s, but Southwest had largely moved away from such agreements in the 21st century. However, in September, Southwest announced a strategic pivot as part of a broader plan to improve financial performance.
As part of this new strategy, the airline also revealed intentions to pursue additional partnerships with "like-minded" carriers to enhance travel options on both transatlantic and transpacific routes. To support this initiative, Southwest stated that it is investing in the necessary technology, including systems that enable seamless rewards program integration with partner airlines.
This collaboration opens new travel possibilities for customers, particularly those looking for connectivity between Southwest's extensive domestic network and Icelandair's transatlantic routes.
