Southwest Airlines creates new ‘business select’ fares
DALLAS -- Southwest Airlines Co. said Wednesday it would offer elite business travelers the chance to pay higher fares to board sooner and get frequent-flier bonuses and a cocktail.
The airline hopes the new "business select" fares will raise more than $100 million next year.
The strategy for chasing business travelers was announced one day before Southwest rolls out its new boarding process nationwide. Travelers will be assigned spots in line instead of being herded into three large boarding groups.
Travelers leaving Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport on Wednesday had mixed feelings about the proposed changes.
Becky Strauss, 37, of Reno was first in line for an afternoon flight to Northern Nevada. Strauss, who flies frequently between Reno, Las Vegas and Chicago, sat on the floor waiting for the plane to board.
"I'm usually here early and I stand in line like this," said Strauss, who figured she wouldn't benefit much from the new boarding procedure.
Other fliers welcomed the change.
Joe Klein of Phoenix said the new process would take some anxiety out of boarding a Southwest flight because passengers would have more certainty about where they might sit.
"If you are first in line now it is great," said Klein, 53, before boarding a flight to Philadelphia. "If you are way back there it is a pain in the neck," he said nodding to the end of the long boarding line.
Business-select passengers will pay $10 to $30 more per flight than Southwest's current top fares, CEO Gary Kelly said. The airline will set aside about 10 percent of seats for the new category.
Review-Journal writer Benjamin Spillman contributed to this report.
