Southwest Expands Caribbean Routes
Southwest Airlines has announced new daily flights to St. Maarten, a Caribbean island known for its beaches and gourmet food scene. The expansion taps into growing demand for experiential travel from major U.S. cities. It reflects a broader airline industry trend of increasing access to destinations centered on food and wellness.
The new service to St. Maarten marks Southwest's first international destination launch since 2021. Daily flights from Orlando are scheduled to begin on April 7, 2026, with additional weekend service from Baltimore/Washington International starting April 9, 2026. These new routes provide connections from more than 45 airports across the United States. The expansion targets the significant North American market, which accounted for 63.3% of all air passenger arrivals to St. Maarten in 2025, with U.S. travelers making up the vast majority of that share. Southwest joins a competitive field of U.S. carriers servicing Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), including American Airlines, Delta, United, JetBlue, and Spirit Airlines. The island's airport is a key regional hub, also serving as a gateway to the neighboring islands of Anguilla, Saba, and St. Barth. The airline's expansion coincides with a strong rebound in the island's tourism sector. In July 2024, St. Maarten saw a 20.5% increase in stay-over tourists compared to the previous year, a trend that continued with a 21.5% jump in August 2024. Princess Juliana International Airport has seen a significant rise in passenger numbers, growing from 1.6 million in 2024 to 1.8 million in 2025. The airport itself has been undergoing significant modernization, with a reconstructed check-in area opened in January 2024 and a new arrival hall in October 2024, following damage from Hurricane Irma.
