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Southwest Announces "Business Select" Fares, Priority Boarding

November 8, 2007 at 10:00 AM | by | Comments (3)

Well that didn't take long. Less than two months ago Southwest scrapped its cattle call boarding for a new system that prioritizes passengers based on when they check in. Now the airline says flyers who spend a bit more are guaranteed to get those coveted "A" boarding passes.

The new fares, which are the priciest Southwest offers, also include bonus Rapid Rewards credits and a free drink. Business select fares will cost anywhere from $10-$30 more than the highest fares the airline has now. (Flying "Select" next week on Kyla's San Diego to Tucson route is $15 extra.) The airline is also adding the priority boarding bonus for passengers that fly at least 32 one-ways a year.

All the changes add up to a big play to lure biz travelers to an airline that's long been a leisure carrier. But we're not sure that road dogs will flock to Southwest just because they're handing out free cocktails. (Though that can't hurt.) But if your company stock closed yesterday at a 52-week low, anything that brings in more money has to be worth trying.

Related Stories:
· Southwest Gives Boarding Priority to Highest-Paying Flyers [USA Today]
· Southwest to Tweak Its Boarding Process [Jaunted]
· Southwest Airlines coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: YoLoPey]

Comments (3)

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Return to » Southwest Announces "Business Select" Fares, Priority Boarding


Family pre-boarding

I understand why they want to charge more for the A passes, but it's a pretty dangerous precedent for Southwest to contend the classic slow boarders don't deserve more time than those who pay more. By next year, I foresee families will be forced to stack into one seat like Russian nesting dolls.
egw on November 8, 2007 at 5:55 PM #Permalink

Does this replace classic pre-boarding?

I thought that these people who payed extra would board with or immediately after the slow boarders.  That's what happened when we used to pay for a similar service for my granddad on a now-defunct budget airline.
Alex Sung on November 9, 2007 at 10:17 AM #Permalink

These days pre-boarding is rare

Southwest changed up the policy recently. Only passengers with disabilities or unaccompanied minors get true pre-boarding. People with children under 4 get to board between the A group and the B group.

This new fare is definitely a way to pay extra to be first on the plane. Keep in mind though that you can also score an "A" boarding pass just by being one of the first to check in, regardless of fare.

pbb on November 9, 2007 at 10:51 AM #Permalink
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