Southwest Airlines has a history of doing things differently. There was open seating, where passengers rushed to reserve the best spots. Jovial presentations from flight attendants lightened the mood before long flights. When it came to viewing and booking flights, there was only one option for leisure travelers: visiting the carrier’s website.
Two months ago, that changed with Southwest flights becoming viewable on Google Flights. Now, there’s another option, with the fares now displayed on Kayak.com, a travel price comparison website. The move follows Southwest’s continuing evolution after it recently announced assigned seating.
Kayak and Southwest Airlines: A good deal for today’s travelers
On Friday, Kayak soft-launched Southwest flights, and on Monday, announced they’ll begin showing the carrier’s fares. When searching for tickets on Kayak, customers can see the airline’s Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus schedules and prices. A button for View Deal takes them to Southwest.com for final booking. Additionally, the search results show baggage options, which include two free checked bags, and one carry-on item.
Steve Hafner, CEO and Co-founder of Kayak, said “Our relationship with them has been consistently great. It’s simply taken us 20 years to convince them to increase their distribution reach via meta. They’ve finally agreed and we’re thrilled.”
Even with the change, no online travel agencies can display Southwest flights and fares. Using metasearch sites like Google or Kayak, customers get redirected to Southwest.com to complete the booking process.
Besides that, Kayak offers a great way to view and compare flights, fares, and more. By typing in destinations and times, customers get info from hundreds of websites, leading them to the best deals.
