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Just a year ago, Southwest Airlines had no partnerships at all. Now, Rapid Rewards members can already book flights to Europe through Icelandair. More recently, Southwest announced a new partnership with China Airlines. The agreement is still in its early stages, but there's a lot to look forward to.
Here's what you need to know about the timeline and what to expect going forward.
Southwest and China Airlines Announce Partnership
In June 2025, Southwest announced its newest interline partner: China Airlines. The Taiwan-based SkyTeam carrier serves several U.S. gateways, including:
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- New York (JFK)
- Ontario (ONT)
- San Francisco (SFO)
- Seattle (SEA)
According to Southwest’s partnerships page, the agreement will give China Airlines customers the ability to connect seamlessly onto Southwest flights from its West Coast gateways at LAX, SFO, ONT, and SEA. This setup mirrors how the Southwest-Icelandair partnership is structured.
How Southwest and China Airlines' Partnership Works
At launch, the partnership will be focused on basic interline connectivity. China Airlines customers will be able to check bags through to their final destination and book itineraries that connect to Southwest’s domestic network. New York (JFK) is the only China Airlines U.S. gateway excluded since Southwest does not operate there.
Published connections are already on sale via China Airlines' website for flights taking off in early 2026. And this should be expanded to additional booking channels, including Southwest's website, in short order.
In case you're wondering about that business class fare, it's marked as “mixed cabin” as Southwest doesn't offer any form of domestic first or business class. So, don't expect to take your Southwest flight in anything more comfortable than a standard economy-style seat.
Earning and redeeming points and miles
For now, neither airline has announced reciprocal loyalty benefits. Thus, Rapid Rewards members should not expect to earn or redeem points on China Airlines flights at the outset.
However, that should change relatively soon. As first reported by The Points Guy, Southwest executives shared publicly at a partnership event that the airline is working quickly to make partner earnings and award bookings available. This means that you'll be able to use your Rapid Rewards points to fly from the U.S. to Taiwan — and beyond. We're not sure just how much these awards will cost, though.
Southwest Airlines and China Airlines Partnership Timeline
Southwest’s partnership with Icelandair offers a preview of how the China Airlines agreement may unfold. Itineraries that include Icelandair flights still aren't bookable on Southwest.com, but passengers can check bags through, and Rapid Rewards earning on connecting itineraries has since been added.
China Airlines will likely follow the same path, beginning with basic connectivity and later adding features like loyalty earning. With other major changes underway at Southwest, including the move to assigned seating, deeper integration with a foreign partner like China Airlines may take a good bit of time. But it seems that this is a big priority for the airline to move quickly on.
Even so, adding China Airlines is a big step forward for a carrier that only a year ago had no airline partnerships.
Our Take
More partnerships are welcome news for loyal flyers, especially with an airline like Southwest that has historically had very few. But without clear plans for reciprocal loyalty benefits, Rapid Rewards redemptions (who knows what award tickets will cost!), or even booking directly on Southwest.com, you'd be wise to keep your expectations in check.
By 2026, though, China Airlines customers will gain access to Southwest’s network. And, in turn, Southwest flyers could eventually see opportunities to redeem points for travel to Asia. That's a pretty neat development.
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