Southwest Adds New Destination, Cuts Another From BWI Airport

LINTHICUM, MD — Southwest Airlines announced a new flight from Baltimore to the Caribbean on Tuesday. The news came about a week after the budget carrier cut service between Maryland and a state capital in the American South.

Southwest will launch peak-service flights to St. Maarten from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The route will debut on April 9 and run on Saturdays and Sundays between BWI Airport and Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM). Southwest will also fly round-trip between St. Maarten and Orlando (MCO) once daily starting April 7.

This is Southwest's first new international destination since 2021. St. Maarten is comprised of two parts: the Netherlands' constituent country of Sint Maarten and the French overseas collectivity of Saint-Martin.

St. Maarten is known for its unique airport that neighbors Maho Beach. Beachgoers feel the thrust of the engines as planes fly overhead at extremely low altitudes, providing a thrill for aviation junkies and adrenaline seekers alike.

The airline adjusted its route network several times recently.

Southwest will permanently end its daily service between BWI Airport and Jackson Municipal Airport (JAN) in Mississippi starting on March 4, travel website The Points Guy reported on Aug. 18. Southwest has not replied to Patch's request for confirmation and a comment on this route cut.

Southwest is expanding elsewhere, however.

In the past month alone, the company has announced new flights from BWI Airport to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and to Knoxville, Tennessee.

Southwest also announced a new airline partnership Tuesday with EVA Air, a subsidiary of the Evergreen Group. Southwest and EVA, a Taiwanese airline, will operate flights between North America and Asia. Southwest will shuttle passengers to their gateway airports in Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) and Chicago O'Hare (ORD). EVA will take travelers from those hubs across the Pacific.

This joins Southwest's recent airline partnerships with Icelandair and China Airlines, providing increased connectivity as the carrier seeks global growth rivaling its counterparts.

Southwest is also changing its rules for passengers of plus sizes.

Starting Jan. 27, Southwest will require travelers who don't fit within the armrests of their seat to pay for an extra seat in advance, the Associated Press reported Monday.

AP said passengers who are larger can currently pay for an extra seat in advance with the option of getting that money back later, or they can request a free extra seat at the airport. AP said a refund is still possible, but no longer guaranteed, under the new policy.

Travelers on partner airlines will have to buy nonrefundable tickets for their second seat.

Changes At Southwest Airlines

The revamped route network comes as Southwest departs from longstanding practices that made it popular with vacationers but unpopular with business travelers.

Bags no longer fly free on the carrier's cheapest tickets. All tickets purchased for travel starting Jan. 27 will feature assigned seating. Premium seating will also soon offer extra legroom.

Southwest previously offered free checked bags and open seating. The updates, however, align Southwest with most of its competitors, with base fares bolstered by add-on services.

Southwest is further changing its Rapid Rewards points, offering more points for more expensive fares. Rewards redemption rates will now vary based on the demand for the flight.

Flight credits will now have expiration dates, and there will be a no-frills Basic fare with the cheapest pricing.

The airline also laid off staff at its BWI Airport hub in June, but it declined to say how many workers were affected. Those layoffs followed February's 1,750 corporate job cuts.

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