Southwest Airlines is expanding its list of international partners to two with the addition of China Airlines.
Southwest and China Airlines are Working on an Interline Partnership
The Dallas based carrier is partnering with the flag carrier of Taiwan under an interline agreement which is expected to go into effect in 2026. The two airlines announced the deal at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM) in India though they acknowledged that some specifics that still need to be finalized.
Andrew Watterson, Chief Operating Officer at Southwest Airlines, said this about the partnership:
“We’re on a journey to bring more choices to our Customers. This initial work to partner with Taiwan-based China Airlines would allow for seamless trans-Pacific journeys across the Southwest network, furthering the reach of our Vision and Purpose—to connect People with important moments in their lives. As the largest carrier of domestic Passengers in the United States, we also carry more people to, from, and within California than any other airline1 and expect Southwest Customers could benefit immediately from having access to connections overseas through China Airlines.”
Kevin Chen, President at China Airlines, added:
“Growing our long-haul network always has been China Airlines’ long-term plan. As we expand our gateway operations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, as well as Ontario, California, we are pleased to include Southwest as one of our partners with its unique network that further expands North American connection opportunities into the Midwest and toward the East Coast. In the future, customers may book China Airlines and Southwest Airlines itineraries under one ticket and enjoy seamless travel experiences. We believe this complementary cooperation will enhance travel options for our customers and improve connectivity to Asia for travelers in the domestic U.S. market.”
While this partnership is interesting, I doubt we’ll see many passengers taking advantage of this outside of those traveling to and from Taiwan. As noted above, China Airlines currently flies to four destinations in the United States, all on the west coast. With the exception of Ontario, the other airports are well connected top Asia with multiple direct flights.
Southwest isn’t a part of any major airline alliance, China Airlines is part of SkyTeam along with Delta. Delta operates large hubs in Los Angeles (LAX) and Seattle (SEA) which should provide plenty of feed for China Airlines flights. Because of that, it’s somewhat odd to see them partner with another U.S. airline but Delta is clearly more focused on its joint venture partner Korean Air for flights to Asia.
Similar to its partnership with Icelandair, this partnership is a simple interline agreement which will allow them to sell tickets on the other carrier. No frequent flyer benefits or points earnings will occur on flights on the other carrier. Because of the level of the partnership and the alternative routing options between the United States and Asia, I doubt this will move the needle much for passengers looking to book transpacific flights.
Summary
Southwest Airlines and China Airlines are working on a partnership that will see the two carriers launch an interline agreement beginning in 2026. While I doubt this will drive significant revenue for either airline, it is nice to see Southwest add another airline partner as part of its transformation.
