en.Wedoany.com Reported - International routes still account for a very limited share of Southwest Airlines' overall operations. According to Cirium Diio data, between September 2026 and March 2027, only 1 in every 45 flights operated by the carrier will be international. This year, the airline's international operations reached an all-time high, with departing international flights surpassing 100 for the first time (counted separately for outbound and inbound). During the review period, it will operate 81 international routes, 5 of which are newly launched.

These five international routes are about to launch

Based on information as of August 10, the new routes will operate from September 2026 to March 2027. Since these routes have all been previously announced, this serves only as an overview. Flights to San Juan (Puerto Rico) and St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands) are not counted in international route statistics, as both are U.S. territories and are treated as domestic flights. None of the new routes depart from the top five airports in Southwest Airlines' international flight volume; among the airports involved, the highest-ranked is Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) at sixth place, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) at seventh, Nashville International Airport (BNA) at 14th, and John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) at 18th.

Southwest Airlines' international routes from Las Vegas

Las Vegas is the key city for these newly launched international routes. Southwest Airlines only began international flights from Las Vegas in June 2026, launching routes to Cancún International Airport (CUN) and Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) that month, and will next add flights to Puerto Vallarta. A planned route to the Costa Rican capital, which would have become Southwest's longest international route to date, has been canceled. Southwest is the only airline operating Las Vegas-to-Cancún, Los Cabos, and Puerto Vallarta routes. The Las Vegas-to-Cancún route was previously operated by JetBlue Airways from 2021 to 2022, Frontier Airlines from 2018 to 2019, and Volaris from 2014 to 2015, with all three carriers exiting within two years. Leveraging its brand strength and extensive route network in Las Vegas, along with demand of approximately 280 passengers per day in this market, Southwest is well positioned to achieve stronger passenger performance than previous operators.

Southwest Airlines' busiest airports for international flights

Between September 2026 and March 2027, Southwest Airlines will operate cross-border flights from 23 U.S. airports. The airport with the highest international traffic is Orlando International Airport (MCO), with 1,899 departing flights scheduled—averaging nearly 9 per day—serving 9 destinations: Aruba, Cancún, Grand Cayman, Montego Bay, Nassau, Providenciales, Punta Cana, San José, and St. Maarten. Houston Hobby Airport (HOU) follows closely with 1,843 departing flights, serving 8 destination markets: Belize City, Cancún, Liberia, Montego Bay, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, Los Cabos, and San José. Orlando International Airport peaks at 11 daily departures, while Houston Hobby Airport and Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI) can reach up to 15 daily departures, though such high-density scheduling occurs only on a very limited number of dates.