Southwest Adds LOT Polish As 11th Unbookable Partner

Southwest Airlines has added LOT Polish Airlines as its 11th international interline partner. Customers cannot book these combined Southwest and partner flights through Southwest.com or its call center.

Southwest Chief Commercial Officer Justin Jones stated the move is "creating more opportunities for single-ticket global journeys." The new connection allows for itineraries linking Southwest's network through Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco with LOT's services to Warsaw and other Central and Eastern European destinations. These tickets must currently be booked via LOT Polish Airlines, travel agents, or online travel agencies.

The Current Partner List

Southwest's website confirms that booking on Southwest.com is not yet available, stating it will happen "eventually." The airline's full list of international partners, all currently unbookable directly through Southwest, is as follows:

A test call to Southwest's reservation line confirmed the policy. A call center representative told Live And Let's Fly that bookings involving these partners must be made through the other airline. When asked if many customers book such complex itineraries, the agent paused before replying, "Um, I've seen some tickets with both carriers but not a lot."

The Strategic Purpose

The report suggests Southwest's strategy may mirror Alaska Airlines' pre-oneworld approach, building a web of partnerships to attract flyers who wish to travel beyond North America. The airline has disclosed plans to build 11 airport lounges in key markets and maintains its credit card partnership with Chase. This infrastructure could eventually serve business class passengers on partners like Singapore Airlines.

For now, the practical benefit to Southwest customers is limited. The inability to book these flights directly, even for cash, offers little advantage. Most of the partner airlines, including seven Star Alliance carriers and Condor, already have extensive agreements with United Airlines, which serves nearly every Southwest market.

The report questions the logic of a frequent Southwest flyer booking a business trip to Tokyo through ANA from Chicago Midway instead of taking a United nonstop from O'Hare. It also doubts a Japanese traveler would pay a significant premium to connect via a Southwest airport. The current arrangement appears to benefit the partner airlines more, allowing them to sell tickets to unique Southwest-served airports and share some revenue.

An Unclear Future

The partnership with Icelandair, Southwest's first of this recent wave, was signed in September 2024 and went live in February 2025, but not for direct booking. This indicates a prolonged rollout. The report concludes that for Southwest flyers hoping to use Rapid Rewards points for global travel, the benefit is clear in theory. They cannot do it now. No clear timeline exists for when direct booking will become a reality.

For revenue tickets, the report asks whether flyers in connecting markets like Kansas City would choose a Southwest-partner itinerary if the price isn't competitive with existing options. It ultimately questions the value of announcing partnerships like the one with LOT Polish when tickets remain unbookable on Southwest's side of the transaction.