Southwest seeks to put business travelers first

Want to get ahead? It’ll cost you $25.

Southwest Airlines Co., which has built its image around the populist idea of seating passengers on a first-come, first-served basis, today will begin letting its highest-paying customers jump ahead of the line for a fee.

For an extra $10 to $25 on top of paying the highest fare available, the “business select” passenger will be able to be one of the first 15 to board the plane. The passenger will also get a voucher for a free cocktail as well as extra frequent-flier award credits.

The new product “is something we think customers will highly value,” said Gary Kelly, the airline’s chief executive.

It’s the latest move by the low-cost carrier to attract more business travelers, who currently have to wait in line like everyone else to board the plane even though they may have paid more for the tickets. The airline has long prided itself on its all-coach cabin with no reserved seating.

But Joe Brancatelli, a frequent flier who runs a website for business travelers called www.joesentme.com, said that passengers might feel shortchanged.

“I don’t want a drink. I want assigned seating,” Brancatelli said. “This does not address business travelers’ needs.”

A savvy flier already knows how to check in within 24 hours of the flight and secure an “A” boarding pass, Brancatelli said. Southwest recently began a new boarding process in which passengers can have an assigned place in the boarding line starting with the “A” group and going down to the “C” group. Passengers generally have to be in the “A” group to ensure that they have an aisle or window seat.

Southwest spokeswoman Whitney Eichinger said tests and surveys found that an overwhelming majority of the airline’s customers balked at assigned seating.

But to boost business travel, Southwest had to come up with an arrangement that would give some wiggle room for high-paying business fliers while maintaining its popular boarding process.

“We’re putting it out there to see what the response is,” Eichinger said. She added that if demand was high the airline might increase the number of priority boarding passes.

With fuel costs rising, Southwest has struggled like other airlines to cap expenses and increase revenue. The new business product could generate an extra $100 million in annual revenue next year, Kelly said during a news conference in Dallas on Wednesday.

Southwest has been tweaking the way it boards passengers recently. Last month, the airline ended its long-standing policy of allowing people with young children to board ahead of most other passengers.

peter.pae@latimes.com