Could Southwest expand to Europe? Newly promoted exec shares his thoughts

Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV), the second-busiest airline in Houston, made a splashy addition to its network this year with the introduction of long-awaited Hawaii service. That left some wondering if Southwest could one day bring service to another major travel market: Europe.

A potential Southwest Airlines Europe entry would be dissimilar to its Hawaii service that started in March, said Andrew Watterson, the company’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer. Watterson was previously…