Southwest Airlines and Singapore Airlines announced an interline partnership on June 8, 2026, at the IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro. Here's what it means for your next trip.

If you've ever wanted to combine a Singapore Airlines long-haul flight with a Southwest domestic connection, you can now do it on a single ticket. That's the headline. The practical implications for points travelers, though, go a bit deeper.

What the Partnership Actually Does

The new agreement is an interline partnership, which means travelers can book one itinerary that includes flights on both carriers rather than piecing together two separate tickets. Singapore Airlines connects to Southwest's domestic network through three shared U.S. gateways: Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), and Seattle/Tacoma (SEA).

From those three airports, you can connect to nearly 120 destinations in Southwest's network. On the international side, the SIA Group (Singapore Airlines plus its low-cost subsidiary Scoot) serves more than 130 destinations across 35 countries. Singapore's hub at Changi Airport is your connection point for reaching Southeast Asia, South Asia, Australia, and beyond.

Singapore Airlines is now the eighth international carrier in Southwest's growing partnership portfolio.

What This Means for Points Travelers

This partnership is interline only, not a codeshare and not a frequent flyer partnership. That distinction matters a lot:

• You cannot earn Rapid Rewards points on Singapore Airlines flights through this agreement
• You cannot redeem Rapid Rewards points for Singapore Airlines award space through this agreement
• You can book a single ticket that combines both carriers, which simplifies baggage handling and reduces the risk of missing a connection

For now, the primary win is operational convenience, not points strategy.

That said, if you're flying Singapore Airlines anyway and want to tack on a domestic Southwest leg, the single-ticket booking is genuinely useful. It protects your connection if Singapore runs late, and you're dealing with one booking instead of two.

The Better Points Play Right Now

Until Southwest and Singapore Airlines develop a deeper loyalty integration, the smartest way to leverage this partnership for points value is through KrisFlyer miles on the Singapore Airlines side.

Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to KrisFlyer at a 1:1 ratio, and so do American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, and Capital One miles. If you're positioning for a Singapore Airlines business class or Suites redemption, those transferable points currencies are your best fuel.

On the Southwest side, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card remain the fastest path to Rapid Rewards points and the Companion Pass. Neither integrates with KrisFlyer yet, but Southwest's accelerating international expansion makes it worth keeping these cards active and your Rapid Rewards balance healthy.

You can search premium cabin availability on Singapore and its Star Alliance partners using Seats.Aero before transferring any points.

What to Watch For

Southwest has been moving fast in 2026. The airline introduced assigned seating, optional extra legroom, and enhanced boarding earlier this year. It's added five new airports. And it now has eight international interline partners spanning Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

A loyalty integration with Singapore Airlines, or even a codeshare arrangement, would be a logical next step. If that happens, the ability to earn and redeem Rapid Rewards on Singapore flights would transform this from a booking convenience into a genuine points opportunity. Watch this space.

For now, file this under "useful if you're connecting" and check our roundup of the best Southwest credit cards to make sure your Rapid Rewards earning is optimized before that deeper partnership materializes. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is also worth keeping loaded with Ultimate Rewards points given its proven value as a KrisFlyer transfer vehicle.

This article contains affiliate links. If you apply through our links, we may earn a commission at no cost to you, which helps us continue sharing points and miles strategies with the community.