Southwest Airlines is currently undergoing a major transformation, which includes charging for checked bags, introducing assigned and extra legroom seating, etc. It goes beyond that, though, as Southwest is also increasingly launching airline partnerships.
Earlier this year, we saw Southwest launch its first partnership with Icelandair, and the expectation is that Southwest will fly to Iceland. Then we saw the airline announce China Airlines as its second partner, and now we’re seeing the airline reveal its third partner. This carrier is actually based at the same airport as the first partner in Asia, which makes you wonder about the strategic rationale.
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For now this partnership only includes an interline agreement. This is the most basic level of cooperation two airlines can have. There’s no codeshare agreement, or loyalty collaboration, or anything. The interline agreement simply makes it possible to book a ticket that includes travel on both airlines. This possibility is already available online, on EVA Air’s website.
There’s not really a whole lot to this partnership
Southwest is still new to the world of airline partnerships, so it’s interesting to see the approach the carrier is taking. For example, Icelandair was announced as the first partner, and it seems pretty clear the airlines are actually planning a higher level of cooperation, eventually having a codeshare agreement, frequent flyer reciprocity, etc.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
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