southwest zed travel

Everything you need to know about ZED travel

Non-rev travel is the best job perk in the world. How can you not love the ability to jump on a flight whenever your airline has an open seat available ? Surely it would take years to visit every destination that your airline flies to, but you might eventually feel limited by your own network. 

Fear not, fellow nonrev! Today, we dive into the world of ZED travel where your standby privileges extend to other airlines besides your own (some that you have never even heard of before). 

What is ZED travel?

ZED, short for Zonal Employee Discount , is a set of agreements between hundreds of partner airlines that allow their employees to book discounted plane tickets on each other’s aircraft.

Put simply, an airline employee (and sometimes their guests) can buy discounted tickets on another airline as long as the two airlines have a ZED agreement in place. 

ZED ticket fares are broken into three fare buckets (Low, Medium, and High) to determine how large the discount will be. Depending on the agreements your airline has in place, these ZED tickets can be either standby or positive-space seating. For most U.S.-based airline employees, you can expect your ZED tickets to be NRSA only.

Why should you look for ZED fares?

So now that you know what ZED fares are, it is important to understand why you may need to utilize this type of ticket when traveling.

There are two main reasons why a non-rev might elect to book a ZED ticket on another airline:

• The airport they are heading to/from is not served by their own airline so they need to fly on a different airline to reach their destination
• The airport they are heading to/from does not have any open seats on their own airline so they need to fly on a different airline to secure a seat

My very first ZED flight was a fifth-freedom flight from SCL to EZE on Air Canada while I was hopping around South America on a wine-tasting trip. I have also had the pleasure of flying legs on Iberia & Alaska to visit airports that I couldn’t get to on my own airline. US-based non-revs can take solace in the fact that many international airlines don’t oversell their flights, so open seats can be easier to come by.

No matter how large your airline’s route map is, ZED travel opens up a world of new possibilities for non-rev travelers. 

Which airlines have ZED agreements?

As of January 2021 , ZED MIBA reported a total of 222 member companies (with an additional 37 partial partners) in their network. Virtually every large- & mid-size airline around the world is connected by some sort of ZED agreement.

It is important to remember that being a member airline is just the first step. As an employee (or non-rev passrider), you will also need to confirm whether or not your airline has a bilateral agreement in place with any other airline you are considering flying with.

For example: Frontier Airlines has a very unique set of established agreements when compared with airlines like Southwest or American. A Frontier employee will have very different ZED options in their portal when compared with the airlines available to a Southwest employee.

Your airline should have a section in the employee site that clearly spells out which airlines are bookable in your ZED portal.

Where can I book ZED tickets?

Every airline has a different process for employees who want to book ZED fares. There is no one-size-fits-all solution here.

MyIDTravel is one of the most popular tools that airlines use for their ZED agreements. Many airlines still use this portal to allow their employees to buy ZED tickets. This is the service that my airline uses to support leisure travel on other airlines.

ID90Travel , a service that provides interline discounts to airline employees, recently added a ZED flight listing tool to their own app. A smaller number of airlines currently have agreements in place with this app, but it has a nicer interface (and more accurate flight load data) than myIDTravel.

Check your airline’s ZED travel policies to understand which website(s) are available to you.

How do I know if there will be an available seat on my ZED flight?

Both MyIDTravel & ID90Travel display recent load factor information. This helps users determine the likelihood of getting a space-available seat assignment.

Each of these portals displays the information in different ways. Here is a quick breakdown to help you better understand the information shared:

MyIDTravel , the most prevalent booking portal for ZED ticketing, uses a smiley face system to rate how open or full a flight is:

• Happy Green Face : flight loads are wide open
• Serious Yellow Face : there are some seats available
• Sad Red Face : there are little to no seats available

However, MyIDTravel’s smiley system is notoriously clunky. The good news is the site also allows you to see how many seats are available in each fare bucket. 

In general, airline fare classes fall under the following categories that you can see in the MyIDTravel screenshot below:

• Economy : Y , B, H, K, M, L, V, S, N, Q, O  
• Business : J , C, D, I,  Z
• First : F , R, A

In practice, most ZED travelers are really only worried about the bolded “Y” fare. Y is the industry standard for economy/coach class tickets. Since most ZED agreements default to space-available bookings in economy, the number of seats available in Y should give you an idea of if there are open seats.

Using this Iberia flight as an example, I can see that this LHR-MAD flight has at least 9 seats available in economy. MyIDTravel never plugs a double-digit number in this field, so we can interpret “Y9” to mean “there are 9+ seats available in economy class”.

MyIDTravel does not show users the standby list for each flight, but I would feel confident that I would get a seat assignment on this Iberia flight based on this screenshot. 

I D90Travel uses a different approach with their app-based interface. Instead of giving you a peek into the number of seats available by fare class, their app provides an estimated range of available seats in economy.

The below example shows a United ORD-IAH flight that has “5% or fewer [seats] available” in economy class. ID90Travel also provides a link to show you the Stand-by List (although I have never found this feature to populate data).

How much do ZED tickets cost?

The ZED agreement negotiated between your airline & the airline you want to fly determines the price you will pay for your ticket. ZED pricing is split into three fare tiers: low, medium, and high. ZED Low fare is your cheapest option and is often reserved for alliance/strategic airline partners.

Additionally, ZED tickets are priced by segment. A nonstop JFK-MAD ticket is cheaper than a JFK-MAD routing with a DUB layover (assuming both tickets are priced within the same ZED fare bucket).

After taking the ZED fare bucket, the airline’s base fare & any taxes/fees (like those imposed by governments or airports) determine your ticket price. For reference, a one-way ZED Medium ticket from the west coast of the US to Europe currently costs no more than $200. 

Seasoned non-rev travelers may know that there is open proposal to update the ZED ticketing buckets with 2 new “super” fare classes:

• Super Low Fare : 25% less than ZED Low fare
• Super High Fare : 125%-250% cost of MT fare (increases on a scale of flight segment length)

These ZED fares were proposed in early 2021, so keep an eye out on these in the future.

How do I travel once I have purchased a ZED ticket?

Because every airline has unique ticketing & listing policies, it is important to look up the latest info on http://www.flyzed.info/ each time you want to travel. In addition to the FlyZED site (which is updated by individual airlines), your own employee portal may have airline-specific guidelines as well.

In my experience, getting ticketed is just the first step. Making your actual flight listing may require an online (or in-person) check-in process. Here are a few examples from my ZED travel adventures:

• Iberia (MAD-GRX): I booked my ZED ticket through MyIDTravel and presented my e-ticket number to the IB ticket counter in Madrid where I was immediately assigned a confirmed boarding pass.
• Alaska Airlines ( SJC -DAL): I booked my ZED ticket through MyIDTravel and checked in at the ticket counter to receive my standby boarding pass.
• Air Canada (SCL-EZE): I booked my ZED ticket through MyIDTravel and presented my e-ticket number to the AC ticket counter in Santiago where I was handed a standby boarding pass.

Make sure to read your ticketing airline’s directions carefully so you don’t miss a step! 

Final Thoughts on ZED Travel

ZED travel is an amazing way to expand your non-rev possibilities. Whether you want to travel to an international destination that isn’t in your airline’s network or just need an alternative route because your own flight filled up, ZED travel gives non-revs a ton of flexibility.

Learning your own airline’s rules & policies can take some time, so it’s no wonder that ZED travel is intimidating. Don’t let that discourage you from trying! If you need additional help, the airline’s ticket counter staff are a wonderful resource. Just make sure to announce that you are an airline employee who wants to list on a ZED fare so they know exactly what you need!

Have you flown on a ZED fare before? Let us know what tips & tricks you have for fellow airline employees who want to take their first ZED flight!

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68 thoughts on “Everything you need to know about ZED travel”

As you mentioned on MyIDTravel in case it displats “Y9” there 9+ seats available….would this be the same logic used for Business Class Zed tickets as well?

Exactly right! For business class, you will want to check the J fare class. “J9” would indicate that there are at least 9 open seats in business class.

do you happen to know what XC means through southwest?

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Which zed airlines offer business or first class listings?

It depends on what agreements your airline has signed other other carriers, so it will vary for a lot of people. That said, we have heard plenty of stories of nonrevs getting upgraded by crew after boarding!

If there are business open seats can you ask for that seat or do you just go where the ticket agent places you?

how about Southwest X9? 9+ seats?

Hey Scott at SWA the X class of service is our non-revenue class. Like a companion pass ticket in which someone just pays the taxes.

If there is an option on ID90 to list for 1st class and coach can you list for both and get a refund on the one you don’t use?

i am American airline employee, booked ticket on Turkish airline through myIDTravel. It says no listing required on Turkish Airline, first come first serve on the day of travel at Turkish airline counter at the airport. When I showed my ticket Turkish employee told me there is no information in their computer. I showed them my booking on myIDtravel but still they could not found it. Later they handover to their supervisor and he printed my boarding pass. On the way back at Istanbul I faced same problem and after talked to many related people they said they don’t have any information. I have to come back so I bought full price ticked at the airport. I called american airlines and they told me my booking is good and it is in AA system, while Turkish airlines said there is nothing.

Do you have any idea why it happened and how to solve this problem in future.

This one is easy. Sabre does not generate a pnr in the unique TK CRS. Once you have your ticket issued , all you need is the ticket number. In Istanbul there is a special counter for staff travel.In smaller airports approach the more knowledgeable staff at the business class counter. Once you give them the ticket number , The agent builds the TK pnr right there and issues the boarding pass.That is why there is no listing with TK and the PNR used to issue your AA 001 ticket is a ghost PNR which does not generate a PNR with TK. Good luck next time!

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Hello, I would like to know the actual costs an airline has to pay to be part of myID service and how they can be part of it. The current company I work for has no such agreement and I wondered how they could apply. Thank you

For 1 st coupon -no seats, i bought a tkt for this segm. Can i use 2 nd coupon with OK status of 1 st coupon? Thank You

What ZED fare should I purchase for standby on premium economy on LX. I checked the availability and there is only few business class seats left but plenty premium economy seats are available. Should I purchase ZED business or should I purchase ZED economy?

Hi there. What is the best way to handle exceeding baggage weight limits with ZED? I am flying DFW-EZE-AEP-PSS with AA on the international and AR on the intra-Argentina flight. My 2 bags will not meet the 1 bag 33 pound request. Any help to forego a huge fee?

Hi could you advise if you can raise a baggage claim on a ZED fare my bags went to DFW and we weren’t able to board the flight due to loads ! AA are refusing the claim as a ZED fare but we didn’t get bags for 3 days so stuck in LAS with no luggage and needed essential items? Any advice would be great thanks !

Hi. I’m an IATA member airline retired person. Does any airlines gives zed ticket for employees children.

Southwest X9 what does this mean?

Can my children, age 19-22, travel by themselves on a ZED fare?

Hi, I am retired from an airline . I have a question. I have a son age us 23 years old. I could get ZED ticket from other airlines for my son . But this year because of get 23 years old his rights finished. My question is if my single brother or sister has rights to get ticket from other airlines without any age of limitation. Why my son not rights to have ZED ticket. It doesn’t make sence . And is there any airlines give ticket over 23 years old son or daughter. If you answer my question I’ll be appreciated.

question regarding proposed change to zed fare buckets. I’m with ua and present we have zl with several carriers that allow us to purchase business zed fares at a higher rate. Would those rates dramatically increase under the 2 bucket proposal?

Hello, I am allowed to book ticket in business class. Would I get refund of fare difference if I end up travelling in economy due to lack of availability?

Is Philippine airline standby policy first come per serve?

If we have purchased a Zed standby ticket, but don’t make the flight due to loads, is it possible to be refunded the ZED fare? (DL employee looking to Zed on UA out of Munich)

Yes! You should always get a refund for a ZED fare that you were unable to fly on due to flight loads.

Can we expect ZED fares to increase once the new 2 tiered system. I’m with UA and they said the ZED fare purchasing system would be down Oct 19-20 while they update it.

How do you cancel a Zed fare on ID Travel with KLM ?

Did anyone figure out the XC code on Southwest?

Hello, I will be flying ZED on China airlines from LAX to TPE. There are no coach seats open but plenty in economy Plus. Will they allow me to sit in economy plus or will they just not board me and fly the trip with empty seats in economy plus. What do airline normally do in these cases would be helpful hint as to what they will do.

Thanks Art Anderson

I am interested in traveling on Ethiopian Airlines. Next to seats available there is an N. I have also noticed on Turkish next to seats available there is an R. No other information is available. Does anyone have an explanation?

I am looking into flying via ID90 on AA from PHL to PLS. There are two non-stop flights 2 hours apart (0830 & 1030). If I list for the 0830 flight and it is full, can the ticket agent slip my pass to the 1030 flight? Or do I have to purchase two tickets and later seek a refund for the flight I did not take? Thank you.

I am retired staff with ZED ticket try to travel from DAC to DFW on QR but at ck-in counter DAC could not find my ticket number and finally bought full fare ticket. I don’t know what happened at DAC Airport. My outbound DFW-DAC on QR without any issue.

Hello, does anyone know how does the reservable ZED tickets work? Are you still on sby or do you get a full reserve. Thanks.

does the employee always need to travel in order for the companion partner or parents to fly? Or they the employee just get a ticket for them without employee flying. Thank you

The answer to this will vary from airline to airline. For example, my parents can fly ZED without me being with them.

Does anyone know what happens to a ZED fare if you book it, pay for it and then you end up leaving your airline? Do you lose the ZED booking?

If the flight is full will the agent roll the ZED non-rev ticket holder over to the next available flight or does this require a separate ticket for the next flight. Thanks

When traveling on Zed tickets what is my boarding priority code when using Silver Airways??? I am an AA employee traveling with spouse and children.

You’re right about TK……..PNR is worthless to them, but ticket number makes it all happen. Question……….their N followed by a number is always BOLD and their Y followed by a number (usually 9) is always un-BOLD. EX: Y9 N3 (BOLD). Which one is the more reliable number? In fact N is always BOLD on every myidtravel inquiry and always has a 1,2,3 number despite green smiley face, Thanks.

When we tried to fly to Honolulu from LAX we had trouble getting on the flights because they were all booked up, and all the nonrev were taken! Each flight had only one seat available, and my partner was not going to leave me (while pregnant), and I wasn’t going to leave him, since he needed me to book the flights for us (That’s what I call love, folks). Three days of waiting in an airport and I finally reached out my company’s travel expert who gave us this beauty of a trick: fly to a less popular destination on, and try an airline with bigger planes. So, we booked a flight through Hawaiian to Maui and took an island hopper to Honolulu. So, sometimes the quickest way to your destination is going to a different location first.

This is a great tip! Always keep an eye out for other airlines or airports if the nonstop flights don’t look good. Stringing together a standby trip on multiple airlines can be intimidating, but ZED agreements can offer you exponentially more options to get to/from your destination.

Hola ! puede volar un acompañante solo con los boletos Zed ?

Hello, how can I fly with ZED with my husband and his service dog? He has a medical condition, that requires him to have SVAN, will this be an issue withing ZED ?

I always wonder which airline does the upgrade for interlines. Is there such list. I have checked with my own airline (canadian airline) and none of that is existent. any 3rd party website such as this?

Whether or not you can get upgraded during interline travel will often depend on your specific airline’s agreement with each OAL. I wish I had a better answer, but your best bet is to check your airline’s policies.

Before how many days of travel, can I make the zed fare ticket. Suppose I make now for after 20 days and by that time the gets full. would the airline give me seat

Hello! Regardless of how far in advance you book your ZED far ticket, seats won’t be assigned to anyone on the standby priority list until the day of the flight.

Hi, I was checking Turkish ticket from HKG to IST, the loading page is an orange face and shows Y9, N0. In the Zed agreement i read TK economy class is N, so does it means it give no seat to ID travel even the flight is not full? Or I can still get the seat if the flight if the flight really not full?

Thanks a lot

Both Y & N are economy fare classes, so my guess is that you would receive a seat assignment on that flight (assuming no other changes) even if the N bucket happened to be full.

can i book zed once at the gate?

Have any having issue in booking flight on TK thru myidportal…. they keep rejecting my CC saying “Name Or Surname” mismatch

Is there a limited number times you can use ZED fares/interline?

How do you purchase a Zed Fare on Qatar. It is on the list of Zed airlines, but says you have to purchase a ticket for your flight first. Is there anywhere to get clarification.

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Interline Staff Travel Agreement – where can I get latest version. The last one I saw was 2019

Question: in Interline Staff Travel Agreement (ISTA) did definition of a retiree recently changed? 2016 ISTA version says: Retiree – a former Employee of a Member or its SAF who has retired from permanent full-time or part-time service under the retirement program of that Member or its SAF. It does not have any details on retirement program restrictions.

Hi, how far in advance can I purchase a zed fare? Is 6 or 8 months too far?

In my experience, ZED fares cannot be purchased for departure dates that are more than 90 days into the future.

Hello I have ZED tickets for me and my buddy with IBERIA, but I can’t really make the flight. Can my Body still travel without me? or is she going to be denied because I am a no Show?

We will by flying into LHR on DL from the US, and plan on a ZED flight on BA, out the same day. Can we purchase ZED tickets prior to our departure from the US and print out standby boarding passes that allow us to go directly to our connecting terminal without having to go through ticketing?

I see you and others mentioned “positive space” ZED tickets as a possibility, but no agreements mention positive space. I’m with a major airline- MyIDTravel has a selection for “R2 Standby” or “Bookable”. Is bookable mean positive space. It leads to an empty page. Has anyone actually booked a discount positive space ticket on another airline, and if so, was it worth it?

When flying ZED how to they prioritize seat assignments? who bought first, checked in first? Or my company hire date?

what happens if you book zed fares in economy but there is no seat left. do i get upgraded to business there is 7 seats left? currently on the emirates flight from DXB to HAN, J7 and O2

Most OALs that I’ve flown with won’t upgrade ZED fares, but you can probably expect that some of the revenue pax will be upgraded to a higher cabin (and therefore opening up Y seats).

AA says zed fare travel to and from Cuba is restricted. Does that mean banned.?

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Airline Employees Travel the World with FLYZED Rates

David Nunuk / Getty Images

One of the benefits of working for an airline is that employees can fly for free on their carrier. But what if you want to go to a destination that your airline doesn't serve? That's where Zonal Employee Discount (ZED) fares come in. 

Under the ZED Multilateral Interline Business Agreement (MIBA) Forum, more than 175 global carriers offer discount fares under a multilateral agreement. Airlines that participate can offer Low, Medium, or High fares on a space-available or positive space basis. They can also offer ZED travel in economy or premium classes. Below are rules for the top 10 global airlines via the FLYZED website .

The carrier strongly advises travelers to check its website to understand the legal conditions when booking its flights and to check if your flight is operated. It also recommends checking the country of destination immigration requirements. Passengers must list and book flights no more than 30 days before their travel date and must be done via this website . 

Alaska Airlines

List of flights on this Seattle-based is on this website . Those passengers who list online can check-in via the airline's website or at an airport kiosk. After checking in, travelers are put on a standby list, and they must be available to board their flight at least 40 minutes before posted departure.

American Airlines

Electronic tickets are required for space-available ZED travel. Employees and all eligible travelers must present an electronic ZED (eZED) ticket number and valid flight listing for travel.

The carrier requires a flight listing which must be made at least 48 hours in advance for international flights and 12 hours in advance for all other flights. Tickets are valid on any American and American Eagle flight in the market ticketed. It is good regardless of the flight number or date that is shown on the ticket, within the 90-day validity of the ticket. 

British Airways

The U.K. flag carrier requires all passengers to list for their flights via this special website . Listings must be made 48 hours in advance. Travelers will need to make a new listing if there are any changes to their flights. Passengers must check-in at a self-service kiosk at least 60 minutes before departure.

Delta Air Lines

The Atlanta-based carrier requires employees and eligible travelers to list and buy a ticket via myIDTravel, and are required to check in with a Delta agent or at a kiosk.

The New York-based airline requires all travelers to list for flights at this website . Passengers can check-in online or via the airline's mobile app for iOS and Android between 24 hours and 90 minutes before departure. Kiosk check-in is available up until 30 minutes before departure.

The Dutch carrier only accepts electronic ZED-tickets on its flights. Listings can be booked on this website . Travelers can check in on the airline's website or at airport self-service kiosks. Passengers are encouraged to get to the gate on time for their flight.

Employees and eligible travelers mist list via this site before flying on the German flag carrier. Check-in needs to be at least 60 minutes before a flight, but travelers are urged to check on Lufthansa's website for specific times.

United Airlines

Eligible travelers are required to make flight listings at least 48 hours in advance for international flights and 12 hours in advance for all other flights. Listings must be made on the UA Web Flight Listing Tool  on the ID90T website. 

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StaffTraveler

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Non-Rev, ID90, ZED, Interline, Standby: What's the Difference?

When starting your career at an airline, you will probably soon hear one of these terms: non-rev , ID90 , ZED , Interline travel , or staff travel . What is it, and what are the differences?

First of all: basically, they all mean the same: your staff travel benefit . Their origins and terms may differ a bit.

What is Staff Travel?

Airlines around the world participate in multilateral agreements. Airlines that are part of alliances like Star Alliance, SkyTeam, or OneWorld all have these agreements with each other. In the United States, this is often referred to as Interline travel. This is a voluntary agreement between airlines that enables their employees to travel on other airlines for discounted rates. Interline travel benefits are often available to employees, spouses, parents, dependent children, and retirees of the airlines. The catch is that you will only get a seat if there is one available on the plane. If the plane is fully booked, you’re out of luck, and you’ll have to catch another flight.

Depending on where you live, this benefit is often called non-rev, ID90, ZED, or staff travel.

As you can read in our blog post about non-rev travel ,  non-rev stands for  non-revenue . This terminology is mostly used in the United States and is often referred to as ID90. ID is short for Industry Discount; 90 refers to a 90% discount. You may also come across ID80, ID75, or ID50 tickets, which all have their specific terms. Read more about that here .

If you live in Europe, you might come across the term ZED or Zonal Employee Discount. This is a multilateral agreement created in 1994 by Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, Malév Hungarian Airlines, and SAS. These days, over 170 airlines are participating in this agreement. Employees of these airlines can fly with the participating airlines for reduced rates. Compared to ID90, these rates are often higher. In The Netherlands, where StaffTraveler is based, we refer to this benefit as IPB. This abbreviation of ‘Indien Plaats Beschikbaar; translates to the best summary of what it is all about if a seat is available. As mentioned before, this is the downside of staff traveling. To make staff travel easier for everybody, we founded the StaffTraveler app . This app enables you to get the  loads for the flights you wish to staff travel on so you can estimate your chances of getting on board.

StaffTraveler has quickly become the largest airline employee community in the world. Besides loads, you’ll find useful airline-specific information, insider city tips by other airline employees, and heavily discounted hotel rooms and rental cars around the world. Download the app for iOS or Android to make your next staff travel trip easy and stress-free, like it should be!

Read more about staff travel on our website . Happy staff travelling!

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Southwest's Latest Sale Has Flights Starting at $49 — but You'll Have To Book Soon

The sale ends May 16.

Stephen M Keller/Courtesy of Southwest Airlines 

Southwest Airlines is discounting flights ahead of a busy summer travel season.  The Dallas, Texas-based airline recently announced the "Start Off Summer With A Sale” event, which provides fares as low as $49 one-way. In addition to a cash discount, members of Southwest's frequent flier program Rapid Rewards can also redeem points for discounted tickets, starting at 3,800 points for a one-way ticket.  The fare sale runs through Thursday, May 16, at 11:59 p.m. PST, and is valid on travel between May 21 and Nov. 20. Travel + Leisure spotted a variety of deals on Southwest’s site including:

• Atlanta, Georgia to Columbus, Ohio - $59
• Austin, Texas to New Orleans, Louisiana - $59
• Chicago, Illinois (Midway) to Louisville, Kentucky - $59
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina - $89
• San Jose, California to Eugene, Oregon - $59
• Tucson, Arizona to San Diego, California - $59

Travelers who are heading to the Hawaiian Islands this summer may be interested in special discounts on inter-island travel. The airline is providing $49, one-way flights between Honolulu, HI (Oahu) to Maui, Kona, Kauai, and Hilo.  Before booking, travelers should review the sale's terms which include blackout dates, and understand that all fares are non-refundable.  Southwest has been on the move with changes to their route network, and new perks for loyalty members. The airline recently announced a new "Cash + Points" program which allows travelers to combine different payment methods for a flight's cost.  Southwest recently announced it would be closing operations at several airports later this summer including Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and Syracuse's Hancock International Airport, in an effort to optimize the airline's network. The airline will begin new seasonal service from Orlando to Nassau, Bahamas from June 4 through August 4.

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Inflight Entertainment

Our  Inflight Entertainment Portal features a flight tracker 1 , texting 2 , movies, TV series on demand, and live TV 3 —all for free! Or purchase internet for $8 per device from takeoff to landing (free for our A-List Preferred Members and Business Select Customers). 4

We do not have seatback screens or devices for rent and do not sell headphones onboard. Headphones are required whenever a Customer is listening to any audio.

We are excited to begin bringing in-seat power to our aircraft. Once installed, aircraft will feature USB-A and USB-C ports on each seat back. Be sure to charge your device before boarding while we work to bring this functionality to our fleet.

1  Where available. Available only on WiFi-enabled aircraft. Limited-time offer. 2  Texting only allows access to iMessage and WhatsApp (which must be downloaded and activated before connecting to SouthwestWiFi). 3  Due to licensing restrictions, on WiFi-enabled international flights, free live TV and iHeartRadio may not be available for the full duration of flight. 4  Internet access for $8 per device from takeoff to landing. Price is subject to change. May not be available for the full duration of flight. In order to provide a top-notch Internet experience, we prohibit access to certain high-bandwidth applications and websites. We also prohibit access to certain obscene or offensive content.

Food and Drinks

Snack and drink offerings are available on flights over 175 miles. Flights traveling 175 miles or less will only have water available.

View the full list of food and drink items offered onboard our flights .

Our Airplanes

The chart below lists key seat specifications on each Boeing 737 model we fly, including passenger capacity, average pitch*, and seat width. 

Our aircraft have one aisle and one single cabin with three seats on each side of the aircraft. The first row of seats on each side is bulkhead seating.

*As defined by our aircraft manufacturer, seat pitch is determined by measuring the distance from any point on a seat to the same point on the seat directly in front of it.

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Lawsuit challenges Southwest’s free ticket program for Hispanic students

A group founded by a prominent anti-affirmative action activist on Monday sued Southwest Airlines, alleging that a two-decade-old program that awards free round-trip flights to Hispanic undergraduate and graduate students is racially discriminatory.

Edward Blum’s American Alliance for Equal Rights in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Dallas alleged that the airline’s program violated federal civil rights laws by excluding non-Hispanic students from eligibility for free tickets.

His group alleged that as a result, two Asian and white students who were members of his nonprofit were barred from applying to the program. The lawsuit seeks an injunction blocking Southwest from using its eligibility criteria.

“Southwest Airlines should immediately open this program to all students, regardless of their skin color or ethnic heritage,” Blum said in a statement.

Dallas-based Southwest did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit marked the latest in a  series of cases  Blum has filed in recent months challenging corporate diversity programs after another group he founded last year convinced the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court to  bar the consideration  of race as a factor in college admissions.

Monday’s lawsuit centers on Southwest’s ¡Lánzate! Travel Award Program, which launched in 2004 and is operated in partnership with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

To be eligible for four round-trip tickets, an undergraduate or graduate student must live at least 200 miles from their home and be Hispanic. Southwest says the program has helped more than 1,500 students.

The lawsuit alleged that the program violated Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, a Civil War-era law that bars racial bias in contracting.

It also claimed the program violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination in federally funded programs or activities. Federal funding Southwest received during the Covid pandemic means the airline can be sued under that statute, according to the complaint.

For more from NBC Latino,  sign up for our weekly newsletter .

Chase Travel Has What the Other Cards and Online Travel Agencies Don’t — Southwest Flights

Dennis Schaal , Skift

May 16th, 2024 at 10:04 AM EDT

Online travel agencies and credit card companies — other than Chase — have Southwest-envy. Not having Southwest flights is a major hole in their travel offerings.

Dennis Schaal

Chase cardholders can book Southwest Airlines flights through the Chase Travel portal, and that’s a rarity for leisure travelers.

You can’t do it through American Express, Citi or Capital One’s travel platforms, nor can vacationers book Southwest flights through Expedia, Kayak, Booking.com, Google Travel or any other online travel platform for leisure travelers.

It isn’t a total shutout for Citi cardholders with access to Citi Travel — they can call Citi customer service to book Southwest flights, but there is no online booking.

That’s the way it worked for Chase cardholders prior to last November. If they wanted to book Southwest flights, they would have to phone Chase Travel customer service to book Southwest. But that changed in November — although it didn’t receive a lot of press — when Chase cardholders got the ability to book Southwest flights on Chase Travel using points or cash, a Chase spokesperson said Wednesday.

An image of Southwest fares available on Chase Travel. Source: Skift

Direct Booking Strategy

Southwest, one of the largest airlines in the U.S., was renowned for its direct booking strategy. The cheapest way for an airline to sell its flights is on its own website; it saves the distribution costs that would come with spreading its fares to third-parties.

For years, Southwest.com was the only place to book Southwest flights. Online travel agencies that tried to offer Southwest flights received cease and desist letters .

In recent years, Southwest has made its flights available to corporate booking tools for business travelers in managed travel programs. It also began distributing its fares and schedules through global distribution systems — but you or your travel agent had to phone Southwest to get a ticket.

It’s unclear what the latest twist in Southwest’s strategy means regarding Chase Travel. Southwest didn’t respond to requests for comment. Will other credit card companies eventually get Southwest’s flights too?

But when Southwest makes it flights available to Chase Travel cardholders, these flights still can only be booked within the non-public Chase Travel environment, and they aren’t available more widely to the general public.

That means that most travelers still have to book Southwest the old-fashioned way — on Southwest.com.

Have a confidential tip for Skift? Get in touch

Tags: american express , booking.com , business travel , chase , chase travel , citi , expedia , kayak , southwest

Photo credit: Southwest flights are available through Chase Travel. Tomás Del Coro / Wikimedia Commons

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United Airlines, Inc., UA (known as "United Airlines")

Flight listing policy and procedures, flights included, excluded, check-in and clearance procedures, payment for on-board food and beverage purchases.

Where listing doesn't take place at the same time as ticketing, flight listings should be made at least 48 hours in advance of travel for international flights and 12 hours in advance for all other flights. Travelers may not book multiple leisure bookings in different cabins over the same routing for the same trip; the desired class of service, based on eligibility per the ZED agreement signed with United, should be specifid at the time of booking. Eligibility of a downgrade refund is specified in the agreement between the airlines.

To create listings when not listed when purchasing the ticket, travelers make their flight listing via the UA Web Flight Listing Tool (available through the ID90T website  www.id90travel.com

• Company: Your employing airline
• Username:  XXemp    (XX = your two letter airline code)
• Password:  ### (### = your billing code/three digit ticket designator)

IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHEN LISTING:

• THE NAME OF THE ETICKET MUST MATCH EXACTLY THE NAME ON THE LISTING, including first, middle, and last name.
• IF THE ETICKET WAS ISSUED AS A ROUNDTRIP, THE LISTING MUST BE CREATED ROUND TRIP.

Once the PNR is created, changes to the itinerary - dates and/or flight numbers- can be done by calling our ePass desk in the U.S. at +1-866-359-3727. It's open 24/7. There is no fee for this type of change.

All refunds for unused tickets or lower cabin travel than purchased (when agreement allows) need to be submitted no later than a year after the ticket was issued. Refund request should be requested as soon as is practical, to allow time for re-submission, should there be any issues with the refund process.

Refunds for unused tickets should be processed through the same tool from which the tickets were purchased. For instance, if the ticket was purchased from myIDTravel, then the refund should be requested through myIDTravel.

Refunds for traveling in a lower cabin than purchased (when agreement allows) should be submitted on united.com . When completing the refund request form, there is no need to log into a MileagePlus account. On the form, please provide an explanation of the reason for the refund, such as, "Purchased travel in C class, but accomodated in Y class." Allow up to 14 days for the refund request to be processed.

While United is not placing an embargo, current factors with flights to/from Cape Town (CPT) and Johannesburg (JNB), South Africa, including weight restrictions due to aircraft type, flight distance, airport conditions, weather conditions, and carriage of cargo, will likely limit capacity on all flights between CPT/JNB and the U.S. (IAD/EWR) in both directions. Due to this limitation, there may be a number of held seats on the flights, and it may not be possible to accommodate pass travelers on departing flights, regardless of empty seats on the flights. Please consider this restriction when planning travel to, through, or from CPT or JNB, and have backup plans in place.

Additionally, due to this restriction, pass travelers will be held at the ticket counter to wait for seat assignments, and will not be permitted to proceed to the gate without a boarding pass with a seat assignment on it. Travelers connecting from an international flight to United in CPT are required to clear customs and immigration and enter the country, and then may proceed to the ticket counter to complete check-in and await clearance. Travelers connecting from an international flight to United in JNB are NOT required to clear customs and immigration to enter the country, and may proceed directly to the Connections desk, and then wait at the gate for seat clearance.

All United Express flights operated by Mesa-YV, Republic-YX, SkyWest-OO, Go Jet-G7, Cand ommutair-C5. Additionally, bus service between EWR and ABE is permitted.

Codeshare flights operated by Star Alliance or other codeshare Partners are excluded, as are ferry/positioning or cargo-only flights. Bus service between DEN and QKB/FNL is not permitted.

Employees of other airlines and their family members may bring a cabin pet on-board a United flight (subject to limitations by destination, aircraft, and cabin). Reservations for pass travelers are not needed in advance, but other policies and fees match that of revenue travelers. For more information, please visit the United.com in-cabin pets page.

Checked baggage

• Employees, retirees and their travel eligibles are exempt from the first bag checked fee, up to a maximum of 50 lbs. (23 kgs). All pass riders pay excess and overweight baggage fees consistent with commercial customer charges.

Cabin baggage

• Employees, retirees, and their travel eligibles are permitted cabin baggage in line with the commercial passegner policy for normal economy (not basic economy) travel. This policy may be found at united.com .
• Pass riders’ overall appearance should be well-groomed, neat, clean and in good taste.
• Attire should be respectful of fellow revenue passengers, employees and pass riders.
• Pass riders may wear denim attire (such as jeans), shorts that are no more than three inches above the knee and athletic shoes when traveling in Coach or Business cabin.

 The following attire is unacceptable in any cabin but is not limited to :

• Any attire that reveals a midriff.
• Attire that reveals any type of undergarments.
• Attire that is designated as sleepwear, underwear, or swim attire.
• Mini Skirts
• Shorts that do not meet 3 inches above the knee when in a standing position.
• Form-fitting lycra/spandex tops, pants and dresses.
• Attire that has offensive and/or derogatory terminology or graphics.
• Attire that is excessively dirty or has holes/tears.
• Any attire that is provocative, inappropriately revealing, or see-through clothing.
• Beach-type, rubber flip-flops

CUSTOMER SERVICE'S JUDGEMENT WILL PREVAIL IN ALL MATTERS PERTAINING TO THE DRESS CODE.

Pass travelers are encouraged to check in up to 24 hours in advance using the United mobile app (available or Apple and Android mobile devices), United.com, or an airport kiosk. For international trips, travelers may also scan their passport themselves using the United app or an airport kiosk.

You may load your booking to the United app prior to check-in by selecting the "My United" button at the bottom of the screen, then selecting the "Trips" button, then entering the booking details requested. Be sure the "Add to my trips" selector is switched on. This will then save your retrieved trip to your app for future reference, as well as to make check-in easier. This will also activate the Travel Ready Center, which will advise you of any documentation you need to travel, such as passport, COVID vaccination certificate, COVID test results, etc., and within 3 days before travel, will allow you to upload the documents for review, making your process at the airport easier.

United mainly uses a Standby Process Automation (SPA) to clear seats for pass travel. Seats are normally cleared, automatically, 30 minutes before departure for domestic US flights and 1 hour before departure for international flights. Some flights may be cleared earlier or later depending on flight loads and/or operational status of the flight. If your mobile phone number and/or email is saved to your booking, you will get a text message or email once your seat has been cleared. As long as you've loaded your booking to the United App, you may then see your boarding pass(es) on the app and may board when your group is called. Should you wish to change your seat, as long as the boarding agent has not restricted the flight to gate control, you may also change your seat assignment using the United app. If you do not have the United app, didn't save your mobile phone number and/or email address when making your booking, and/or did not save the booking to or check in using the United app, please watch the gate TV monitors to see when you have been cleared with a seat, and ask the agent for a paper boarding pass at that time. Agents will ask for identification when issuing a paper boarding pass.

Effective August 13, 2018 the following stations will no longer accept cash as a form of payment. Only credit and debit cards will be accepted as forms of payment for departure taxes and other applicable fees.

• BZE (Belize City)      
• BOG (Bogota)
• EZE (Buenos Aires)
• GUA (Guatemala City)
• MGA (Managua)
• UIO (Quito)
• SJO (San Jose)
• SAP (San Pedro Sula)
• SAL (San Salvador)
• SCL (Santiago)
• TGU (Tegucigalpa)

LIR (Liberia), PTY (Panama City) and RTB (Roatan) transitioned to cashless stations earlier this year.  Due to local government regulations we are still required to accept cash in GIG (Rio de Janeiro) and GRU (Sao Paulo).

United now accepts only toucless payments for onboard food and beverage purchases. In order to pay for onboard purchases, you will need to save a credit card to a Mielage Plus account profile prior to travel, and then be logged into your MileagePlus account on the United app. While you may add a credit card to your MileagePlus account using the app, only U.S. or Canadian credit cards can be added in the app at this time. If you have a credit card from outside the U.S. or Canada, you will need to add it to your MileagePlus account using the united.com website.

Southwest Airlines® Route Map

Where do you wanna go use our route map to find your next flight., *important fare and schedule information.

• All fares and fare ranges are subject to change until purchased.
• All fares and fare ranges listed are per person for each way of travel.
• For information on additional types of fares click the following links: infants or military or for additional information call 1-800I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792). Please note that these fares are a discount of the "Anytime" fares. Fares shown above may be lower.
• Group reservations: Ten or more Customers traveling from/to the same origin/destination. Discounts vary. Call 1-800-433-5368.

Disrupted Service

View destinations impacted by COVID-19.

New City Service

We’re giving you even more getaways. Find out where we’ve expanded our network.

Southwest Airlines expects to add red-eye flights in about two years

S outhwest Airlines ( NYSE: LUV ) expects to begin red-eye flights for the first time in its history sometime in the next two years. Chief Commercial Officer Ryan Green confirmed the timeline during a travel conference last week.

The carrier is expected to start red-eye flights from both Las Vegas and Hawaii before working out how to add the flights to other locations. Adding red-eye flights could help with plane utilization as well as provide an incremental lift to capacity. Green noted that Southwest Airlines ( LUV ) will have to be "maniacally focused" on being efficient as the airline company wants to grow without adding to the overall cost structure. Southwest ( LUV ) is already in the process of redesigning its cabins for 2025, with features such as slimmer new seats, adjustable headrests, and larger under-seat space.

In general, red-eye flights are popular with travelers from west to east in the U.S. and are seen by analysts as a competitive advantage in building customer loyalty.

More on Southwest Airlines

• Southwest Airlines: Maintain Hold Amid Higher Costs And Boeing Turmoil
• J.P. Morgan 2024 Industrials Conference
• Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) Presents at J.P. Morgan 2024 Industrials Conference (Transcript)
• Southwest Airlines' transport workers approve new contract
• Southwest Airlines strikes crucial tentative agreement with union repping its flight attendants

Delta, Southwest get top marks for customer satisfaction in J.D. Power airline survey

Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines received top marks in J.D. Power’s North American airlines customer satisfaction survey for 2024.

The firm’s results, announced Wednesday, noted that airlines investing in their staff are seeing more satisfied customers despite higher airfares compared to a year ago.

“There are many aspects to the overall air travel experience that airlines cannot control, but one area in which they can profoundly influence is the positive effect that airline staff has on passengers,” Michael Taylor, J.D. Power’s senior managing director of travel, hospitality, retail and customer service, said in a statement. “The big takeaway from this year’s study is the power of people to positively influence the overall flight experience. Airlines that are investing in staff training and recruitment are finding ways to overcome the negative effects of crowded gates and planes simply by being nice to their customers.”

According to the survey, passengers’ main priorities are getting to their destinations easily and safely. That outweighs even ticket price in determining a traveler’s satisfaction with their chosen carrier. 

J.D. Power conducted its survey between March 2023 and March 2024, polling 9,582 passengers who traveled on a major North American airline during that period. Here’s how the carriers broke down.

Delta Air Lines gets top marks in premium cabins

• Delta Air Lines scored highest in both the first/business class and premium economy segments in J.D. Power’s survey, earning 743 points in the former and 716 points in the latter out of a possible 1,000. Delta’s strategy has emphasized premium service in recent years, and that position seems to be paying off.
• JetBlue came in second in the first/business class category with 736 points, and the segment average was 701. Air Canada scored lowest for its most premium cabins, earning 629 points.
• In premium economy, Alaska Airlines took the second spot with 687 points, beating the segment average of 675. 
• Air Canada again scored lowest in the premium economy sector, with 628 points.

Southwest Airlines is a flyer favorite for economy

• Southwest Airlines kept its position as the preferred economy carrier for the third year in a row, earning 685 points. The airline recently announced it is considering changes to its cabin layout and boarding process, which could upend one of the key differentiators between it and other airlines.
• Delta Air Lines was second-favorite among economy travelers with 651 points, beating the segment average of 613.
• Frontier Airlines scored the lowest in customer satisfaction, earning 472 points for its economy offering.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at [email protected].

Cities [ edit ]

• 52.283333 104.3 1 Irkutsk — the attractive capital and largest city; one of the principal stops on the Trans-Siberian Railway and the gateway to Lake Baikal
• 52.566667 103.916667 2 Angarsk — the second largest regional city is home to the Museum of Clocks
• 56.152 101.633 3 Bratsk — a relatively large city on the Baikal-Amur Mainline
• 51.853611 104.869167 4 Listvyanka — located on the shores of Lake Baikal
• 51.659444 103.706111 5 Slyudyanka - southernmost point of the Baikal, famous for its marble railway station and smoked omul
• 54.9 99.016667 6 Nizhneudinsk — a small city on the Trans-Siberian with a pretty church; located near some interesting caves and a waterfall along the Uda River
• 55.933333 98.016667 7 Tayshet — nothing much to see, but many stop at this important rail junction to begin the Baikal-Amur Mainline

Other destinations [ edit ]

• 53.302778 108.004722 2 Lake Baikal — located between Buryatia and Irkutsk Oblast , is the deepest and oldest lake in the world and also the planet's largest body of freshwater.
• 51.72865 103.72159 3 Circum-Baikal Railway
• 53.15 107.4 4 Olkhon — the largest island in lake Baikal is a real jewel, and worthy of the effort it takes to reach it.
• 51.8531 104.882 5 Pribaikalsky National Park

Understand [ edit ]

Irkutsk Oblast, in particular the capital Irkutsk and the shores of Lake Baikal , is likely Siberia 's top travel destination.

Talk [ edit ]

Russian is understood and spoken by all; some members of ethnic minorities (especially the Buryat) are bilingual and speak their native languages with one another.

Get in [ edit ]

By plane [ edit ].

Irkutsk Airport ( IKT  IATA ) is one of Russia 's most important and receives international flights from Mongolia , China , South Korea , Thailand , and Uzbekistan . Domestic flights are available from most major Russian airports, including: Saint Petersburg , Moscow , Khabarovsk , Yekaterinburg , Vladivostok , and many others.

By train [ edit ]

Despite the importance of Irkutsk Airport, most travellers still arrive via the Trans-Siberian Railway , which stops at (from west to east): Taishet (junction with the Baikal-Amur Mainline ), Nizhneudinsk , Usolye-Sibirskoe , Angarsk , Irkutsk , among other less frequented settlements.

By car [ edit ]

Baikal Highway crosses the region from west to east. A bus from Ulan-Ude connects Irkutsk with Buryatia.

Get around [ edit ]

Bratsk and Ust-Orda are accessible via the Baikal-Amur Mainline from the Trans-Siberian Railway junction at Taishet.

Do [ edit ]

• Camping out on one of Lake Baikal 's islands
• Fishing galore
• Rafting on Irkut river. Whitewater grade is 1-3 in some places of 150 km river.

Read [ edit ]

• Michel Strogoff by Jules Verne.
• Plays by Alexander Vampilov.
• Writings by Valentin Rasputin.

Stay safe [ edit ]

• While being in woods, beware of snakes that are commonly warming in the sun on the stones. There is not many of them but some may be vipers.
• The other problem of this (and other regions of the North Hemisphere) is ticks. Their bites may be infectious. Usually vaccinations are taken beforehand.

Go next [ edit ]

Irkutsk Airport is a useful hub to jump off to different parts of the country.

For closer destinations, most will travel by the Trans-Siberian Railway , which leads to Kansk and further Krasnoyarsk in the west and to Ulan Ude in the east.

The Baikal-Amur Mainline , which runs on a parallel track to north of the Trans-Siberian, begins at Taishet in western Irkutsk Oblast and on to Severobaikalsk .

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