Southwest Airlines and Icelandair have entered into a strategic partnership agreement which was signed on January 15, 2025. The new partnership will allow customers to connect between the two airlines’ networks, though they are starting off with a single connection point.
Passengers can connect between the Southwest and Icelandair networks via Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) starting in February. This is the first airline partnership since Southwest announced its new strategic plan last year.
While Baltimore was previously known thanks to an earlier Memorandum of Understanding, this announcement added two new connecting points that will be coming online at a later date. The two airlines plan to partner for connections via Denver International Airport (DEN) and Nashville International Airport (BNA).
Customers of both airlines will be able to travel from the United States via Iceland all the way to Europe though that would require, at a minimum, a double connection. It will be interesting to see how passengers on both airlines utilize this partnership but I would imagine it will be primarily focused on travel to/from Iceland.
Ryan Green, Southwest Airlines Executive Vice President & Chief Transformation Officer, had this to say about the strategic partnership with Icelandair:
“It’s fitting for us to launch this chapter of industry-standard airline partnerships with our longtime friends, Icelandair. Beyond an ability to offer each other’s Customers access to new destinations and like-minded travel experiences centered around hospitality and value, we’re grateful to have been guided by their expertise and best practices in building our program.”
While both airlines are calling this a strategic partnership, it isn’t to the scale that we see most airlines enter into. At least at the beginning, this partnership will be an interline agreement which allows customers to purchase a single ticket across both airlines. It is expected that the airlines will continue to build out the partnership and allow for reciprocal frequent flyer earnings at some point in the future.
Summary
Icelandair and Southwest Airlines have officially signed a strategic partnership between the two carriers. The partnership will go into effect in February when the two airlines begin connecting passengers via Baltimore/Washington International Airport.
While I don’t see much value in this partnership for getting to Europe, unless you utilize the stopover in Iceland, this is an interesting option for visiting Iceland, especially if you’re a Southwest frequent flyer.
(Image courtesy Icelandair)