Southwest Coming to the Caribbean?

Southwest Airlines announced this week that it had signed a code-sharing agreement with Mexican discount airline Volaris and will begin selling flights to Mexico -- including the Mexican Caribbean -- in 2010. Previously, Southwest signed a similar agreement with WestJet to expand its operations into Canada. And, perhaps most intriguing, Southwest is gearing up to possibly begin its own flights to Caribbean destinations, joining JetBlue as another budget airline to boost competition with legacy carriers like American Airlines.

"They can fly to Guadalajara or Punta Cana as well as anyone else," airline industry consultant Mike Boyd recently told the Associated Press. Other experts say that Southwest may be more likely to stick to the codesharing model for simplicity's sake, but I know a whole bunch of Caribbean travelers who would love to see the best discount airline in the U.S. bring its efficient operations and low prices to the islands!