Hospitality Reimagined: How Southwest Airlines Is Enhancing Business Travel

Skift Take

As the business travel landscape evolves, travel managers face growing pressures to deliver seamless experiences and efficient solutions for their teams. Southwest’s focus on digital tools, personalized service, and hospitality-driven innovations aims to simplify travel management and support a smoother, more flexible journey for business travelers.

Southwest Business

This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner.

Today’s corporate travel managers and business travelers face numerous challenges, from balancing costs to ensuring a seamless travel experience. Business travelers now expect more than just a smooth flight — they want the entire process, from booking to managing changes, to be as effortless as possible. 

According to the Global Business Travel Association, total spending on business travel is projected to reach $1.4 trillion in 2024, with further growth to nearly $1.8 trillion by 2027. Despite this growth, the sector is still climbing back to pre-pandemic levels, largely due to the shift toward remote and hybrid work. As a result, growing trends like blended trips, extended stays, and a greater emphasis on health and wellness have prompted travel companies to rethink their approach to business travel.

In response to this competitive and evolving environment, Southwest is redefining the business travel experience from the ground up through a hospitality-focused approach that combines digital convenience and personalized service for travel managers, along with innovative changes to the individual business traveler experience.

For an inside look at how Southwest is prioritizing the needs of travel managers and business travelers and pushing the boundaries of business travel through its overarching commitment to hospitality and customer experience, Skift spoke with Rob Brown, managing director of B2B strategy, services, and sales ops at Southwest Business. 

The Power of Hospitality in Business Travel 

For Southwest, hospitality and customer service are the core values anchoring excellent business travel experiences. In recent years, Southwest has focused heavily on ensuring travel managers and business travelers have everything they need at their fingertips. The airline’s easy-to-use app and mobile-friendly website make it easy to book and modify travel as needed.

“One of the biggest challenges a travel manager can face is keeping our travelers happy,” said Heather Martin, global travel process analyst and operations manager at Red Hat, a Southwest Business partner. “As plans change or weather causes disruptions, knowing that Southwest is doing all they can to keep travelers happy by providing great customer service and getting them to their destination makes my job a little easier.”

A hospitality-first approach also means using customer feedback to guide the company’s ongoing transformation. After learning that 86 percent of potential customers favor assigned seating, Southwest set change in motion. The airline expects to start offering assigned seat bookings in the second half of 2025 and operate with assigned seats in the first half of 2026. This is a game-changer for travel managers and business travelers alike.

“Some of our travelers didn’t want to fly Southwest because they couldn’t get assigned seats,” Martin said. “Now that Southwest is moving to assigned seats, I expect an uptick in travelers flying Southwest more. Knowing where you will be sitting on a flight gives the traveler peace of mind.”

Blending Digital and Human Elements for a Seamless Experience

Southwest’s ability to provide seamless, personalized business travel experiences depends on its combination of digital tools and human support. Unifying these complementary elements under the umbrella of hospitality allows Southwest to offer a comprehensive customer experience suitable for the modern business traveler. 

“Award-winning customer service and hospitality have always been foundational to who we are, and over the years we’ve taken measurable steps to deliver an even better experience for all Southwest customers,” Brown said. “There are many innovations and enhancements behind the scenes, and they all have to work together for everyone to reach their destinations safely and on time.”

This blend of digital innovation and Southwest’s trademark hospitality powers tools that make travel managers’ and business travelers’ lives easier. For example, Southwest Business Assist is a comprehensive digital solution that supports travel managers responsible for corporate travel programs. 

Southwest is constantly expanding the platform’s capabilities –– recent enhancements include adding more dashboards, reporting features, and additional funds management and navigation tools. A quarter of the 100-plus unique features now available within Southwest Business Assist are dedicated exclusively to meetings and group travel.

The Southwest Business Services team offers white-glove service to travel managers and business travelers, handling tasks like assisting with flight changes and addressing any immediate concerns. Customized for each account type, this team ensures that customers receive the specific care they need, infused with the Southwest hospitality they know and love. 

This complements the account management team, which plays a more proactive role, building relationships with travel managers and providing personalized support tailored to each account’s needs. They ensure that travel managers are informed about Southwest’s offerings and any updates relevant to their travel programs, providing a well-rounded support system for corporate clients.

“My account manager at Southwest Business is amazing,” Martin said. “He keeps me in the know, and anytime I need anything at all or even just have a question, he’s there. He truly goes above and beyond, and I appreciate his support.”

New Offerings and Their Future Impact on Business Travelers 

As Southwest continues to lead the future of business travel, a series of forthcoming enhancements will further reduce friction for travel managers and business travelers. 

For example, Southwest recently announced that it will be adding premium seating options that allow travelers to choose the seat that’s best for them. While maintaining standard economy seat pitch among the best in the industry, one-third of Southwest seats will offer extra legroom options with up to five inches of additional pitch. The refreshed cabin design underway also offers RECARO seats, larger overhead bins, and in-seat power outlets.

Southwest also recently announced its first international partnership with Icelandair, expected to launch in 2025, offering travelers expanded options across the globe. International partnerships like this one improve the overall travel experience and enhance the value of the Rapid Rewards loyalty program with greater flexibility and convenience for both leisure and business travelers. 

“As my company currently does business in over 55 countries, I’m excited to see where else Southwest may expand its partnerships around the globe,” Martin said.

Southwest’s ongoing commitment to balancing innovation with its core values ensures the airline remains a leader in customer service while supporting the evolving needs of business travelers. 

“Innovating to grow our products and better meet our customers’ needs is just as important as our foundational values,” Brown said. “By working to ensure we’re delivering the tools and products our customers need to simplify their travel management, and through ongoing growth and enhancements, Southwest will continue to put a little extra heart into business travel.”

Learn more about which Southwest business travel offerings are right for your team.

This content was created collaboratively by Southwest Business and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.