Why Southwest just became more appealing for business travelers - 1 views
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Most airlines around the world depend on three major platforms in sell seats on their planes — direct sales to consumers and business travelers, through ticket agents, a website or app; codeshares through airline partners; and consumer and business sales via a third-party travel agency, often an online travel agency (or OTA), or a corporate booking platform.
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Southwest Airlines has long stood apart from most airlines around the world, insisting on marketing its flights exclusively through its own platforms
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By making its flights available to more customers, Southwest will be in a better position to sell seats to a broader range of flyers, expanding the potential for lucrative corporate contracts
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Last year, however, Southwest announced plans to grow integration with business travel platforms, making it possible for corporate travel managers to book, modify and cancel Southwest reservations with ease
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more Southwest loyalists will have access to the carrier’s flights for work-related travel, when their options may have been limited before. Road warriors may have a worthy new alternative, too
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with another appealing program to choose from, elites sticking with legacy carriers could end up battling fewer travelers for upgrades and preferred seats — a win-win for customers across the board
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This article discusses Southwest Airlines' new strategy to allow bookings through GDS's, beginning with Apollo and Worldspan and continuing later this year wit Amadeus. Previously, Southwest had required its customers to book exclusively through its own platforms. Among the advantages listed are the possibility to sell seats to more more types of flyers (especially valuable during the pandemic) and brand loyalists' ability to book corporate travel through the airline. The article makes a compelling case for GDS's continued relevance, especially in the managed corporate travel sector.