Southwest Enhances Agency Access via New Interface

Southwest Airlines will be one of the first carriers to use Travelport’s Universal Application Programming Interface to connect with travel sellers under a new content agreement between the companies.

Kevin Krone, Southwest’s vice president of marketing, sales and distribution, said the new connection will provide agency subscribers with a greater level of access and functionality. “They’ll get live availability,” he said. “They don’t have that today. And they’ll be able to include the customer’s Rapid Reward number at the time of booking.”

He described the new connection as an improved communications “highway” between the companies.

The expanded agreement will make all of Southwest’s published fares and inventory, with the exception of its “Wanna Get Away” web-only fares, available to Travelport’s offline agency customers on all Travelport platforms that are connected through the uAPI.

Corporate Use
The Southwest content also will be available through Travelport Traversa, the company’s corporate booking tool; third-party corporate booking tools; and the Travelport Universal Desktop that is currently in beta testing at Flight Centre Ltd.

Customers booking through the Travelport uAPI will have an integrated display with support for searches that return the lowest fare available and a number of other functions such as deferred ticketing and “cancel reservation” options.

Southwest began expanding its participation in GDSs in 2007, when it signed its first agreement with Travelport. Previously, it was only available in Sabre at the rock-bottom Basic Booking Request level.

Krone also told Travel Market Report that the carrier is not hearing much concern from travel agents over the tracking of ancillary services purchased by corporate customers, largely because checked-bag fees – the most ubiquitous of fees – don’t exist at Southwest. Neither do change fees or same-day standby fees.

Another popular ancillary service – priority boarding – is built into Southwest’s Business Select fare.

Krone wouldn’t comment on reports that Southwest is close to a final decision on the selection of a new passenger services system, including a reservations system that would facilitate better coordination with GDSs. The finalists reportedly are Amadeus Altéa and SabreSonic.