Flights for Southwest Airlines are available to view on Google Flights, a move that marks a major change for the airline that, until now, has only been searchable via its main website.
However, the change is only helpful for comparing prices with other airlines. When it comes to actually booking a flight, travelers will be redirected to Southwest’s website.
The airline — which is the second-largest commercial airline by market value, and the fourth-largest commercial airline by fleet — also did not specify how long the pilot will last or if other changes would be ahead.
The change had been one that was hinted at by Southwest Airlines’ CEO Bob Jordan during the first quarter earnings call in April, first reported by CNBC, (where he also discussed possible changes in the airline’s boarding process).
“We’re excited to continue finding ways to expose more consumers to the appeal of our unique combination of value, friendly and flexible policies, and a breadth of flight service that’s built around the more than 800 nonstop routes Southwest will offer this peak summer travel season among 121 airports across 11 countries,” the airline added in its statement.
The change is only happening on Google Flights — meaning no other aggregators or flight sites like Kayak or Skyscanner, will show Southwest flights. The exception being that Southwest flights are now also bookable through Chase Travel, a change that was quietly made last year but got attention this past March.
