10/24/2025
For Beleaguered Southwest, ‘Everything is on the Table’ — Even Long-haul International
Dallas Morning News (10/24/25) Parker, Jordan
Southwest Airlines (LUV) CEO Bob Jordan has repeatedly said the Dallas-based air carrier is considering long-haul international flights. Southwest Airlines could be on the cusp of making the most monumental change of its 54-year history. The carrier has rolled back some of its most popular policies as it positions itself to take on other major U.S. carriers. Now it may be eyeing an expansion to long-haul flights to Europe for the first time. Southwest officials said in August that the airline was talking to the unions representing its pilots and flight attendants about expanding its international route network beyond Mexico and the Caribbean. Southwest’s longest route is currently Phoenix to Honolulu, about 2,900 miles. This year, Southwest has also launched international airline agreements with Iceland Air, China Airlines, and EVA Air in Taiwan, further signaling its intention to explore international opportunities. Yet that may be changing, with Southwest flirting with expanding its global reach at a time when rival carriers are beefing up their international schedules. American Airlines (AAL) is set to add flights from DFW International Airport to Athens, Greece, and Zurich next summer, in addition to extending service to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines (DAL) is expanding service to destinations in Portugal, Italy, Spain, and France, as well as the islands Sardinia and Malta next summer. And United Airlines (UAL) added routes from its Newark hub to Italy, Croatia, Scotland and Spain. Bob Jordan, Southwest’s chief executive, has not been shy in talking about the chances of his carrier embarking on an international expansion, saying at a summit last month that “everything is on the table.” “I wouldn’t be talking about things like lounges, premium and long-haul international if it wasn’t a real subject under evaluation at Southwest Airlines,” Jordan said at the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce’s annual aviation breakfast last week. ”If we were to decide that we want to fly long-haul international, it would require a different aircraft. The 737 cannot do that. It would require negotiations with our pilots and flight attendants. It would require learning how to do catering. It would require getting slots in the airport’s we want to fly to in Europe, as an example." Jordan indirectly hinted at two possible Southwest destinations if it were to fly to Europe. “The number one long-haul destination in the world to the United States is London, number two is Paris,” Jordan said at the breakfast. “So you take the top 10 (long-haul markets), most of those are western Europe. It would be logical if we were to fly long-haul international that you would want to pick off the top markets, right?” Even still, a number of analysts have doubts that international routes beckon for the airline. “The key thing here is just because an airline says they’re going to explore doing something doesn’t mean they’re actually going to do that thing,” said Henry Harteveldt, founder of Atmosphere Research Group. “It’s easy to talk about exploring long-haul flying,” he said, suggesting that Elliott Investment Management — the activist investor that’s forced major change at Southwest — may be pressuring the airline to do more global travel. “There are a lot of questions [that] have to be answered before an airline pulls the trigger to go long-haul,” Harteveldt added. “For more than 50 years, they’ve been a primarily domestic airline. They’ve been an airline that flies to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America, but nobody right now thinks of Southwest as being a long-haul airline, and that’s a big change to make in the consumer’s mindset,” he said. “I’m not sure that the Southwest brand footprint, in most of its customers’ minds, extends to flying to Europe.” Amid the whirlwind of recent changes, “Southwest could find itself in a high-risk, high-return situation,” said Usha Haley, a business professor at Wichita State University. “Historically, Southwest has focused on short-haul, high-frequency routes with fast aircraft turnarounds and low operational costs,” she said. “Long-haul international flights introduce complexities including larger aircraft, training international crew, overnight stays, and higher regulatory compliance, all of which could hurt Southwest’s cost advantages and endanger its brand name. As sometimes happens, Southwest may find that it has bitten off more than it can chew.” Southwest has almost exclusively operated the Boeing 737 family of aircraft since its beginning. The carrier currently operates 810 aircraft: 334 Boeing 737-700 aircraft, 203 Boeing 737-800 aircraft and 273 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The airline has credited its single-aircraft policy with efficiency and scheduling simplicity over airlines that fly multiple airplanes from different manufacturers. In order to fly long-haul international routes, Southwest would likely need to diversify its fleet. The company’s single-aircraft model limits its flying, since the 737 MAX has a maximum range of about 3,500 miles. “In Southwest’s case, they have 737 MAX jets and they can potentially modify some of their MAX 8 jets to fly long-haul by adding a fuel tank,” said Harteveldt. “Flying the 737 MAX 8 could allow Southwest, conceivably, to fly from airports in the Northeast U.S. to destinations in Northern Europe.” Still, Southwest’s transition into a more global player won’t come easy or quickly. Analysts said that Southwest will need to overhaul its operation and product if it wants to enter the long-haul market. They questioned how Southwest would implement such routes given that it has no major international hubs, and no premium loyalty products enjoyed by its rivals — such as lounges and top-end offerings offered to premium and business travelers. Clark Johns, director of the Alton Aviation Consultancy, said Southwest would need to examine how an international expansion would impact its business model. “There is potential for them to ‘win’ customers who utilize Southwest for their domestic travel today, but then are required to split their wallet with other airlines when it comes to long-haul travel,” Johns said. Sixteen months have passed since Elliott acquired a nearly $2 billion stake in Southwest, allowing it to turn up the pressure on leadership. When the firm burst onto the scene, it came with a mandate for Southwest management: increase profit by overhauling its strategy. Southwest made major policy moves like ending open seating, announcing overnight flights, and charging for checked baggage, among other changes. When all is said and done, the Elliott engagement could be a catalyst behind why Southwest is considering yet another dramatic strategy shift. "So there are a lot of factors that Southwest would have to consider, and they may conclude that again, the economics of flying long-haul aren’t as compelling as remaining a primarily North American-focused airline,” said Harteveldt. “And guess what? That’s okay. Because if Southwest believes it can actually make more money with a North American network, then that is the message it has to tell Elliott and its other investors.” With its missteps in the rearview mirror but external pressure mounting to hasten its modernization, an international expansion could give Southwest access to profitable routes. As post-COVID international travel picks up, there’s money to be made for savvy carriers. Collectively, U.S. airlines made a $1.8 billion net profit from international operations, according to U.S. Department of Transportation statistics from the second quarter — a jump from the comparable year-ago quarter. “When it comes to airfares, travelers could win big if Southwest enters the long-haul market,” said Julian Kheel, the CEO of Points Path, a company that helps travelers utilize rewards points. “More competition on routes to Europe or South America would likely mean lower ticket prices and better award availability across the board,” she said, while warning that Southwest “would have a lot of work to do to match the international flight experience passengers expect from global airlines.” But he added that “more competition is always a win for travelers, and if Southwest pushes other carriers to lower fares or improve service, consumers will benefit in the long run.”
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