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After years of going it alone, Southwest Airlines has flipped the script and started launching partnerships with international carriers like there's no tomorrow. Late on November 4, 2025, the Dallas-based airline announced its fourth partnership, this time with Philippine Airlines. Here’s what to know about Southwest’s newest partner.
Southwest Airlines Launches Partnership With Philippine Airlines
Philippine Airlines is Southwest’s fourth international airline partner — and its third based in Asia. Like Southwest’s other partnerships, this one begins with a simple interline agreement (think seamless connections and single-ticket itineraries). But the airlines have plans to expand the relationship over time.
Even though the partnership only launched on November 4, travelers can already book itineraries that include one flight operated by Southwest and another by Philippine Airlines. For now, these joint itineraries are available only from a handful of airports served by both carriers:
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Seattle/Tacoma (SEA)
- San Francisco (SFO)
- Honolulu (HNL)
For example, you could book a trip from Chicago–Midway (MDW) to Manila (MNL) via Seattle (SEA) or Los Angeles (LAX). One limitation is that, at least for now, these itineraries can only be booked through Philippine Airlines’ website or select third-party platforms like Expedia. You can't book them directly through Southwest.
The second catch is that you won’t earn Rapid Rewards points on these flights. For now, you’re better off crediting your travel to Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay Miles program or possibly Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards. Since Philippine Airlines isn’t part of a major airline alliance, your options are somewhat limited.
You also can’t redeem Rapid Rewards points for Philippine Airlines flights yet. With its other partnerships, Southwest has indicated that award redemptions are a future goal, so it’s likely they’ll be added at some point. However, there’s no set timeline for when that will happen.
Bottom Line
To be honest, I don’t think many of us had Southwest Airlines adding Philippine Airlines as an international partner on our 2025 bingo cards. But to be fair, much of what Southwest has done lately — like adding partnerships with EVA Air, China Airlines, and Icelandair while overhauling nearly every aspect of its operational model — probably wasn’t on there either.
Ultimately, though, if you’re a Southwest fan who wants to head to Manila and beyond, or someone in Asia interested in visiting the United States, you now have another option to travel between the continents on a single itinerary.
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