Southwest chief executive Bob Jordan has hinted that the airline could one day offer long-haul transatlantic flights.
In an interview with CNBC, Jordan did not rule out the possibility of launching US-Europe operations in future.
“No commitment, but you can certainly see a day when we are as Southwest Airlines serving long-haul destinations like Europe,” said the chief executive.
“Obviously you would need a different aircraft to serve that mission and we’re open to looking at what it would take to serve that mission.”
Jordan added that he wants to send “fewer and fewer customers to another airline”.
Southwest’s competitors – like Delta, United and American – already offer long-haul services to destinations in Europe.
But Southwest customers have to book with another airline if they want to fly across the Atlantic, Jordan admitted.
He said: “Nashville loves us, and we know we have Nashville customers that… want to get to Europe and they’re going to Europe.”
However, it’s “way too soon” to share “any specifics” about future network plans.
