updated 11:32 a.m. ET July 8, 2008

DALLAS - Southwest Airlines Co. says it plans to offer international service — a first for the low-fare carrier — through a deal with Canada's WestJet.

Southwest said Tuesday that it has taken the first step toward striking a so-called code-sharing agreement with WestJet.

The airlines said they planned to announce schedules and other features of the partnership by late next year. The agreement is subject to review by U.S. and Canadian regulators.

Under most code-sharing deals, airlines sell tickets on each other's flights and share the resulting revenue. Frequent-flier programs are typically reciprocal.

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