Southwest and EVA Air: New Travel Horizons

It seems like Southwest Airlines is shaking things up in a big way. Imagine them charging for checked bags and offering assigned seating, even extra legroom options! But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The airline is really diving into the world of partnerships, widening their horizons beyond what we’ve seen before.

So far this year, they’ve teamed up with Icelandair, hinting heavily at future flights to Iceland. Then, quite the move, they partnered with China Airlines. And now, what do you know, they’re announcing yet another partnership. The intriguing part? This third partner is also hanging out at the same Asian airport as the last one. Makes you question the strategy behind it all, doesn’t it?

New Southwest & EVA Air Interline Agreement

Southwest Airlines is now rubbing shoulders with EVA Air through a shiny new interline agreement, effective immediately. It means you can book travel that includes both airline experiences. The thrill is happening at four transpacific gateways: Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Southwest’s perspective? They see this as a “stride towards more choices for their customers.” EVA Air, based in Taipei and a member of Star Alliance, now sits alongside Southwest’s other Asia-based partners, creating a curious cocktail of collaboration.

But, let’s not get too carried away. This is just an interline agreement, the bare minimum of partnership. No codesharing, no loyalty program mashups, just a ticketing possibility that lets you hop from one airline to the other. And you can get started with this via EVA Air’s website. Exciting, right?

There’s Not Really a Whole Lot to This Partnership

Southwest is still a novice in the realm of airline partnerships. Their first dance was with Icelandair, hinting at deeper ties like codesharing and frequent flyer benefits. But, partnering with both China Airlines and EVA Air, two Titans of industry and fierce competitors, maybe that’s not as deep as we’d like.

Think of EVA Air and Alaska Airlines—they’ve got a similar interline thing going, and yet, beyond that, they’re not really trading friendship bracelets.

• Southwest might see potential in cozying up to foreign airlines to boost loyalty programs.
• Picking up some interline revenue doesn’t seem like a game changer financially, though.
• But hey, with Southwest shedding its “all-inclusive” airline skin, maybe they’re fine with that.

With the airline stepping away from its premium roots, this dip into partnership waters doesn’t hurt anyone, right?

Bottom Line

So here we are—Southwest Airlines and EVA Air are now partners, sort of. It’s as basic as partnerships come, just a straightforward interline agreement. It lets you seamlessly arrange travel including both airlines, checking bags along the way with ease.

It’s funny, really, how both Southwest’s Asian partners are chilling out in Taipei. Seems like these agreements might just be casual in nature, rather than anything revolutionary.

Your thoughts on Southwest and EVA Air joining forces?