Tl;dr – This marks the private-equity run carrier’s second new Caribbean destination in as many months.
Southwest will start flying to St. Maarten next spring. In a recent press release, Southwest announced two new routes between St. Maarten (SXM) and Orlando (MCO), as well as between St. Maarten and Baltimore/Washington (BWI). Last month, Southwest announced service to the U.S. Virgin Islands that will kick off in February 2026, and this new St. Maarten service follows the same pattern – the Orlando route (commencing on April 7, 2025) will kick things off, and then the first Baltimore flight to St. Maarten will depart a few days later.
Tropical destinations, particularly those in the Caribbean, remain popular vacation spots, so it’s no surprise Southwest is trying to expand its offerings in ways that its current all-Boeing 737 fleet. The aircraft is limited in its range, so as Southwest aims to turn over a new leaf after much storied turmoil, its early strategy seems to be offering new routes to attractive destinations within a few hours of its major hubs.
Southwest leadership has teased releasing new destinations each month of the summer, so there may be one more in store next month.
