Southwest Business is leveraging the resurgence of business travel by enhancing their services to provide flexibility and efficiency for travel managers and travelers. With business travel projected to reach 95 percent of pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2024, Southwest Airlines is focusing on streamlining the air booking process and offering solutions that simplify management tasks and ensure compliance with company policies. By expanding their services within the business travel sector, Southwest aims to provide enhanced capabilities to book, modify, and manage flights through various distribution channels.
The creation of a self-service portal, Southwest Business Assist, in 2022 allows travel managers to handle travel agreements, requests, funds, and promotional content autonomously. This portal serves as a “one-stop shop” for travel managers to oversee their travel programs, improving the overall customer experience by providing flexibility and reducing friction. The portal offers features such as improved reporting, in-depth dashboards, sustainability tracking, and the ability to contract and book travel for meetings and events. Travel managers like Sabrina Kronk appreciate the portal for its ability to provide real-time overviews of their travel programs and support during unexpected events.
Southwest Business emphasizes simple and easy-to-understand contract terms, as well as offering multichannel distribution options to meet the diverse needs of their corporate clients. By providing flexible contract terms that allow refunds on non-refundable tickets and name changes on tickets, Southwest aims to make it easier for organizations to manage their travel programs. Offering multiple booking channels, including through global distribution systems (GDS), helps keep everyone in compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements.
Despite some airlines scaling back or eliminating their sales teams, Southwest Business remains committed to offering dedicated account manager support for travel managers. These account managers provide assistance to travel managers before, during, and after travel occurs, contributing to a more efficient and supportive environment. Additionally, digital tools like those offered by Southwest Business Assist provide comprehensive insights and analytics in near real-time, allowing travel managers to make data-driven decisions and manage their travel programs effectively.
As more business travelers return to the skies, Southwest Business continues to develop additional tools, capabilities, and enhancements to meet the evolving needs of travel managers. Seeking feedback from customers to better understand their needs, Southwest is working on initiatives such as a revamped tool to facilitate booking groups and improvements to in-flight amenities. By investing in new features on their app, such as tracking bags and listing to fly standby on earlier flights, Southwest aims to be a trusted travel partner for businesses across the country and provide flexible solutions that fit their needs.
