Southwest Airlines Flights to Be on Expedia

Southwest Airlines flights will be available on Expedia, marking the first time customers can book trips with the carrier through an online travel agency, Expedia announced Wednesday. 

The entirety of Southwest’s network across the U.S., Mexico and Caribbean will be available to book on Expedia and its brands Travelocity, Hotwire, Orbitz and CheapTickets. 

Some Southwest flights are expected to appear on Expedia later today and the rest will be available tomorrow, an Expedia spokesperson told Skift.

Southwest also recently inked deals with Google Flights and Kayak, allowing its flights to be displayed on the two meta search platforms. 

The move to Expedia signifies a big shift for Southwest’s business model. Traditionally, customers could book flights only through Southwest’s website. The carrier resisted putting its fares on meta search platforms and online travel agencies for decades as a way to cut out distribution costs and build loyalty among its customer base. 

Southwest Makes Big Changes

Over the past year, Southwest has introduced major changes to shake up its business model. In July, the carrier announced it would do away with its open boarding process and add premium seats to its cabins. 

Southwest also recently started adding red-eye flights to its network, with executives describing the move as one that would “drive revenue without additional aircraft or headcount,” during the airline’s investor day last year. 

The airline said February 17 it would conduct its first-ever layoffs, slashing 15% of its corporate workforce, which CEO Bob Jordan described as “unprecedented.” The layoffs came after Southwest said it would implement a hiring freeze, affecting mostly corporate jobs and summer internships. 

The changes are part of a broader effort to boost Southwest’s profitability following a battle with activist investor Elliott Investment Management. 

The hedge fund had pressed for a major leadership overhaul at Southwest, including advocating for the removal of Jordan as CEO.

Ultimately, the two companies reached a settlement that allowed Jordan to stay on as CEO and gave Elliott five directors on the carrier’s board, just short of control. 

Southwest recently came to another agreement with Elliott, allowing the hedge fund to take a bigger economic stake in the airline, according to a regulatory filing posted February 19.