Customers
are now able to purchase itineraries to the airlines' combined 97
destinations, including international, in one transaction. The newly
connected itineraries are on sale now via all Southwest and AirTran
sales channels for service starting on April 14.
"We
began rolling out shared itineraries in January in a handful of
markets, and we've gradually ramped up the initiative where we now
connect our entire network across both Southwest and AirTran,"
said Bob Jordan, Chief Commercial Officer at Southwest Airlines and
President of AirTran. "With a connected network, we can offer
Customers more itineraries, more destinations, more low
fares, and a taste of what's to come once the
integration is complete."
Southwest
Airlines and AirTran Airways took the first step in connecting their
networks on Jan. 26, 2013, by offering a small number of connected
itineraries in five markets. On Feb. 25, 2013, the airline launched
connected itineraries in 39 cities.
By
connecting the Southwest and AirTran networks, Customers may:
•
Add
one or more AirTran domestic flight segments to a Southwest
itinerary, using Southwest booking channels (southwest.com,
1-800-IFLYSWA, travel agencies, Southwest's mobile site and apps, and
Southwest Airlines ticket counters.)
•
Book
one or more Southwest flight segments connecting to an AirTran
itinerary, using AirTran channels (airtran.com, 1-800-AIRTRAN,
AirTran Airways ticket counters, and travel agencies.)
•
Use
all Southwest channels to book an AirTran-only domestic itinerary.
•
Add
an international AirTran segment to a Southwest itinerary within a
single reservation, through a Customer-friendly transfer of the
transaction to AirTran channels for booking, purchase, and ticketing
by AirTran.
•
Earn
currency in either loyalty program no matter which carrier they fly.
(The currency a Customer earns is determined by the carrier from
which they buy their ticket, even if flying on a shared itinerary.)
