Singapore Airlines and Southwest Airlines have formalized a partnership agreement that is already intriguing travelers from both continents. But before going any further, a clarification is necessary: contrary to what one might believe, this is not a codeshare agreement, but an interline agreement.
In a codeshare agreement, a company places its own flight number on an aircraft operated by its partner and sells tickets directly on those flights. This is the most advanced level of cooperation between two carriers.
Interlining remains more modest in its mechanics but just as useful for the traveler: the two companies simply coordinate reservations and checked baggage on a combined itinerary, allowing travel with a single ticket even if changing carrier en route. This is precisely the formula chosen by Singapore Airlines and Southwest.
A network that opens in both directions
For Singapore Airlines passengers arriving in the United States, the deal is a game-changer. The Singaporean company only serves a few American cities directly: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Houston. Through Southwest, customers can now reach nearly 120 additional domestic destinations across the country on a single reservation; secondary cities such as Nashville, Austin, Kansas City or Salt Lake City thus become accessible without having to buy a second separate ticket. The main connecting points identified for these connections are Denver, Chicago Midway, Baltimore-Washington and Los Angeles airports.
In the other direction, Southwest customers gain simplified access to Singapore Airlines’ international network, which covers more than 130 destinations in Asia, the Middle East, Oceania and beyond. For a company that has long cultivated a purely domestic and point-to-point model, this is a significant opening towards international long-haul, without having to operate a long-haul fleet itself.
What are the concrete benefits for members of loyalty programs?
This is where expectations need to be tempered. At this stage, the agreement does not provide for code sharing or reciprocity between loyalty programs. Concretely:
Rapid Rewards (Southwest) members cannot yet earn or use their points on Singapore Airlines flights.
KrisFlyer (Singapore Airlines) members also cannot redeem their status or earn miles on Southwest-operated segments.
Tickets must, for the moment, be booked separately with each company, even if both partners are committed to making the connection and baggage transfer process as smooth as possible.