Southwest Is Making Its Way to Europe Thanks to This New Partnership — What to Know

It’s that time of year again. Leaves are changing colors, shoulder season trips are in full swing, and international airlines are sharing what new routes travelers can expect next summer.

Southwest Airlines' new assigned seating model — complete with its first-ever extra-legroom seats — is set for takeoff in early 2026.

Low-cost Icelandic airline Play is making it easier to travel this fall and winter with $99 flights to popular cities across Europe.

Southwest Airlines is extending its flight schedule into early next summer and introducing new destinations from its Nashville hub. The airline, which usually releases its schedule eight months in advance, has just released its booking calendar through June 4, 2025, announced Wednesday. With the schedule update, the carrier has announced several key updates across its network. For starters, the carrier will expand significantly out of Nashville International Airport (BNA), which has been one of Southwest's fastest-growing hubs and newest crew bases.  Starting April 8, 2025, the carrier will begin daily service from Nashville to Albuquerque, Jackson, and Tulsa; as well as up to 6x weekly flights to Providence and up to 5x weekly flights to Albany. In addition, the airline will offer “intra-Tennessee service for the first time” with its brand-new, once-daily service from Nashville to Memphis.  “The new flights will boost Southwest’s scheduled presence in Nashville to an all-time high of 174 Sunday departures in April and May 2025,” the airline wrote in a statement. The new route announcement comes as the airline is undergoing notable changes, as Southwest will introduce its first-ever overnight flights to its network next February. With today’s announcement, the airline shared a few more routes that will see redeye service — flights from Honolulu to Las Vegas and Phoenix, Kona to Las Vegas, and Maui to Las Vegas and Phoenix will be offered as red-eyes starting April 8, 2025.

Southwest Airlines is making major changes to its network.

Southwest Airlines said Wednesday that it would reduce service and staff in Atlanta due to a lack of demand. 

Southwest Airlines is slashing unprofitable routes as it faces intensifying pressure from an activist investor to boost revenue and cut costs.

Dallas-Fort Worth travelers who want to take high tea overlooking Victoria Harbour at the Peninsula Hong Kong or chow down on dim sum have a new way to get to the bustling Asian metropolis next spring.

Iceland is known as one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights, as it sits just south of the Arctic Circle and is known for clear winter skies. But with numerous outdoor activities ranging from coastal hiking to horseback riding and trekking through ice caves, it’s a bit hard to stay awake every night to watch the skies.

Germany’s got a big secret: It’s got islands. And not the rocky, desolate, and uninhabited kind, but islands with miles of sandy beaches, picturesque cliffs, peaceful, protected forests, and seaside luxury hotels. The Germans obviously are in the know, and because of their geographical locations, the Dutch and Danes are, too. But nobody else in in the world seems to remember that Germany has a coastline on both the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, let alone that this coastline is peppered with dozens of islands. The biggest of all the German islands is Rügen in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, itself a wildly underrated area. While Rügen takes a little effort to get to, the trip is hardly insurmountable, and travelers who want to see Germany away from the big urban centers, internationally known beer festivals, and packed tourist attractions would be remiss to pass on it.

A new nonstop flight from Dallas Fort Worth straddles three days. On Wednesday, Cathay Pacific announced it will launch services from Hong Kong to and from the Texan hub.

Delta Air Lines and Scandinavian Airlines have launched a close partnership to expand flights to Northern Europe, just weeks after the European carrier joined the SkyTeam alliance.