skift take
— Dennis Schaal
Chase cardholders can book flights on Southwest Airlines through the Chase Travel portal, which is unusual for leisure travelers.
Bookings cannot be made through American Express, Citi, or Capital One travel platforms. Nor can a traveler book a Southwest Airlines ticket through his Expedia, Kayak, Booking.com, Google Travel, or other online travel platforms for leisure travelers.
This does not completely lock out Citi cardholders who have access to Citi Travel. You can call Citi Customer Service to book Southwest Airlines tickets, but there is no online reservation.
This is how it worked for Chase cardholders before last November. If you want to book a flight on Southwest Airlines, you need to call Chase Travel customer service to book Southwest Airlines. However, although it didn't receive much press, things changed in November, when Chase cardholders could now use points or cash to book Southwest Airlines tickets through Chase Travel, Chase said. a spokesperson said Wednesday.
Image of Southwest fares available at Chase Travel.Source: Skift
direct booking strategy
Southwest Airlines, one of the largest airlines in the United States, was known for its direct booking strategy. The cheapest way for airlines to sell tickets is through their websites. You can save on distribution costs associated with distributing freight to third parties.
For years, Southwest.com was the only place to book Southwest Airlines flights. Online travel agents who tried to offer flights to Southwest Airlines received cease-and-desist letters.
In recent years, Southwest Airlines has made its flights available to corporate booking tools in its managed travel program for business travelers. It also began distributing fares and timetables through a global distribution system, but to obtain tickets, you had to call a travel agent or travel company.
It's unclear what the latest twist in Southwest Airlines' strategy means for Chase Travel. Southwest did not respond to a request for comment. Will other credit card companies eventually get their hands on Southwest Airlines tickets?
However, even if Southwest Airlines makes flights available to Chase Travel cardholders, these flights are still only bookable within the private Chase Travel environment and are not widely available to the general public. there is no.
That means most travelers still need to book Southwest the old-fashioned way: Southwest.com.
Photo courtesy of Southwest Airlines through Chase Travel.
