Southwest Airlines on Monday announced a partnership with a German-based ticketing distributor that will expand the Dallas carrier’s global reach.
Southwest, which is headquartered at Love Field, is partnering with HahnAir, a distribution provider for the aviation industry that will provide ticketing access to 100,000 travel agencies in 190 markets outside of the U.S., the company said.
“This partnership is particularly helpful for people visiting the United States who need to move about the country and now can more effortlessly consider our unmatched domestic network,” Andrew Watterson, Southwest’s chief operating officer, said in a statement. “Our partnership with Hahnair allows for the sale of Southwest tickets in geographies where we don’t fly today, in local currencies.”
Southwest CEO Bob Jordan has said the company is considering long-haul international flights, but that would likely require a new aircraft type that could fly longer distances. It’s unclear if this deal is a step in that direction, but it could help Southwest start making inroads with customers overseas.
Aviation News
The deal with HahnAir is the fourth international partnership Southwest has launched this year, as company executives currently ponder whether to launch long-haul flights to Europe. Southwest has international airline agreements with EVA Air, China Airlines and Icelandair. Those airline agreements allow Southwest to connect its domestic route network to the international route network of the partner carriers.
“Welcoming Southwest Airlines to our leading network of over 350 partner carriers marks a significant milestone for our worldwide network,” Alexander Proschka, chief commercial officer of Hahnair, said in a statement. “Through this partnership, Hahnair is offering travel agencies around the globe access to Southwest Airlines’ extensive flight offerings, while at the same time delivering an efficient and comprehensive distribution solution to Southwest.”
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