Last Updated on August 7, 2024 by ETC Team
The changes keep rolling in for the airline as Kayak is now listing Southwest flights.
Until recently, booking a flight through Southwest Airlines was limited to the company’s website and mobile app. The first step in changing this practice came when flights for the Dallas based airline began showing up in Google Flights search results.
It will allow customers to compare Southwest fares and flight times with competing carriers, which was more difficult before the company began partnering with third-party websites to sell tickets. This is considered a significant shift as historically, Southwest has not permitted third-party websites to display its schedule and fare prices.
This is a great development for travelers,” said Steve Hefner, Kayak CEO, in a statement. “We first started showing Southwest in 2022 to KAYAK for Business customers. We’re thrilled to expand that relationship to the millions of leisure travelers who use KAYAK.”
It’s worth noting that while Kayak is now listing Southwest fares, you cannot book Southwest flights directly on Kayak’s website. Through what Southwest is calling a pilot partnership, Southwest fares will be integrated within Kayak’s normal flight results.
Kayak users searching for Southwest fares will also be able to compare fare attributes such as ticket refunds, travel credit transferability, same-day changes, checked bags, and flexible seating. Once you are ready to book, you will be transferred to Southwest’s website or mobile app for direct booking.
Southwest, which currently operates out of 117 airports across 11 countries, has been under pressure from investors to be a stronger competitor to other major U.S. carriers, and that has led to plans for substantive changes at the airline.
Also spurring the changes could be recent shifts in strategy by budget airlines Spirit and Frontier. Both have and announced changes in how they display fares and add-on charges. Each now plans to offer four distinct ticket types, or tiers, upfront — with product offerings ranging from basic and unbundled to premium.
This news follows the move by Southwest to change its long standing open seating policy. The company announced last month that it plans to start assigning seats and implement a more segmented cabin and offer extra legroom for seats.
