Philippine Airlines (PAL) has announced that it has partnered with Southwest Airlines on an interline agreement to allow passengers to book connecting flights with both carriers using a single ticket.
The arrangement, which was finalized on the week beginning November 3, 2025, is now open for bookings.
The partnership allows easier connection to PAL’s international network across the Philippines, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East with Southwest’s domestic US routes through four shared airports: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Seattle Tacoma Airport (SEA), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).
Under the interline agreement, passengers can purchase one ticket covering both their PAL international flight and their Southwest domestic connection. Bookings can be made through Philippine Airlines’ website or third-party travel booking platforms.
The four gateway airports serve as connection points where passengers transfer between the two carriers. In Honolulu alone, Southwest operates approximately 48 daily interisland flights.
Christoph Gaertner, PAL’s Vice President of Revenue Management, said the partnership expands options for passengers traveling to the United States.
“Our interline partnership with Southwest Airlines enables seamless connections and single-ticket journeys across both of our networks,” Gaertner said. “As we continue to expand PAL’s global reach, this collaboration provides more travel options and greater flexibility, giving our guests access to a wider range of destinations in the United States.”
Single-ticket interline bookings differ from purchasing separate tickets on different airlines. With interline agreements, baggage is typically checked through to the final destination, and if a connecting flight is missed due to delays on the first leg, the airlines coordinate rebooking.
When passengers buy separate tickets, they’re responsible for collecting and rechecking bags, and missed connections due to delays generally aren’t the second airline’s responsibility.
For PAL passengers connecting to cities beyond the four gateway airports, the Southwest partnership provides access to destinations the Manila-based carrier doesn’t serve directly.
Andrew Watterson, Southwest’s Chief Operating Officer, noted the partnership’s value for both airlines.
“Each airline partnership brings unique and incremental reach to places around the globe for both carriers and gives more consumers an opportunity to begin or end their journey with Southwest,” Watterson said.
“With nearly 90 flights daily that touch the Hawaiian Islands and as California’s largest air carrier, Southwest is positioned like no other airline in serving Philippine Airlines’ passengers arriving or departing the United States,” he added.
The agreement is part of PAL’s broader approach to expanding US connectivity without adding direct flights to every destination. By partnering with domestic carriers like Southwest, international airlines can offer passengers access to secondary cities while keeping their own aircraft focused on major gateways.
For Southwest, which operates exclusively within the United States and its territories, interline partnerships with international carriers provide additional passenger feed into its domestic network.
The partnership adds to existing connections between Philippine and US travelers, a market that has seen steady demand driven by family ties, business travel, and tourism between the two countries.
