Southwest Airlines recently announced new international routes. They will be launching new service to Turks & Caicos Islands, Costa Rica, Grand Cayman, Dominican Republic, Cancun, and Puerto Rico. Are you interested in flying these new Southwest international routes?
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New Southwest International Routes Announced
Southwest Airlines continues to expand their international coverage with new routes to many Caribbean islands and Central America. I love it because this expansion makes the Southwest Companion Pass even more valuable!
Ft Lauderdale to Turks & Caicos
Southwest will offer daily service to its 11th country with its newest route from FLL airport in Ft Lauderdale to the PLS airport in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos.
Steve Goldberg, Southwest’s Senior Vice President of Operations & Hospitality who also serves as the carrier’s Executive Sponsor of Florida had this to say:
“We’re investing in the Caribbean with an optimistic outlook on travel and tourism as our Hearts remain with those still facing significant challenges,” Goldberg added. Following the hurricanes of 2017, Southwest coordinated with government officials to operate two dozen unscheduled flights to Puerto Rico in support of relief efforts by transporting people and much-needed supplies. “While a courageous recovery continues, the best thing many can do now is simply take a vacation, make a business trip, and contribute to a greater awareness that the Caribbean is back in business.”
Ft Lauderdale to Costa Rica & Dominican Republic
Southwest Airlines is now offering additional service from Ft Lauderdale to San Jose, Costa Rica and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. With these two new routes, there are now 10 destinations available in the Caribbean and Central America from Ft Lauderdale, Southwest’s Florida international gateway.
Houston and Grand Cayman
Starting with summer 2018, Southwest will begin offering Saturday flights between Houston and Grand Cayman.
Timmy and I visited Grand Cayman and had a terrific time because there are plenty of activities to do with kids. If you go, here are the best hotels in Grand Cayman.
Pittsburgh / Raleigh-Durham to Cancun
Non-stop service every Saturday will begin between both Pittsburgh and Raleigh-Durham to Cancun, Mexico starting June 9, 2018 (pending government approvals). The summer 2018 flight schedule will be the largest ever for Southwest and Cancun with non-stop service from 16 gateway airports, peaking with 27 departures to Cancun on Saturdays.
Chicago Midway / Houston Hobby to San Juan, Puerto Rico
Southwest Airlines is increasing their summer service to San Juan, Puerto Rico with additional routes from Chicago and Houston. There will be daily flights from Chicago Midway to San Juan in summer 2018, whereas last year they only flew on the weekends.
And now there will be additional service between Houston Hobby and San Juan with a second flight on Saturdays and Sundays starting June 9, 2018. It’s great to have additional options and capacity when flying to popular destinations like Puerto Rico.
As a reminder, Puerto Rico is a great Caribbean option for Americans because you don’t need a passport to visit.
The Bald Thoughts
If you love Southwest Airlines or inexpensive international flights, these new Southwest international routes are music to your ears. Whenever Southwest Airlines enters a route, prices for every airline usually fall due to the increased competition. So, even if you don’t fly Southwest, you should still find some savings when competing airlines reduce their prices.
Will you be flying these new Southwest international routes? Which one is most appealing to you?
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These are all useless for those of us on the west coast until they start red eye flights for us to get to these east coast cities in time to catch the connecting flight.
I hear you Rich. I live in SoCal, so I feel your pain. The best option we have is the Houston route. Sometimes you can get a super early flight out of LAX to make it reasonable to fly East on Southwest.