It’s been a pretty big week for Southwest Airlines. They adjusted their open seating policy (but didn’t instate assigned seating) and set their sights on luring international travelers. At the moment, Southwest isn’t set to take off overseas, but they are interested in getting into the international travel market. As the Los Angeles Times reports:

“The initial plan would be for a passenger to be able to book an international flight with Southwest, starting in Corpus Christi, Texas, for instance, and connecting to another carrier at Los Angeles International Airport to reach a foreign city.”

Eventually, Southwest hopes to expand their routes to include destinations in Mexico and Canada, as well as Europe and Asia. For now, however, they hope to attract international travelers by offering affordable airfares and strong ties to carriers who already offer routes outside of the U.S.

Southwest’s recent moves make sense. While they have long dominated the low-cost field, things have begun to change. Southwest is no longer the only horse in the race, and for the first time they have made wide-ranging cuts to their workforce. International options (and the seating policy changes) demonstrate that Southwest is eager to expand beyond their traditional customer base of leisure and regional business travelers and offer more to those heading out of the country.