SWABIZ Doubles Revenues, Adds Customization

Southwest Airlines' online corporate booking portal SWABIZ this week added new customization options that enable enrolled companies to highlight only the hotel and car rental companies they allow travelers to use. Though the carrier's corporate site always included hotel and car bookings in addition to Southwest reservations, Rob Brown, a regional director responsible for corporate travel products, said, "Corporate travel managers provided feedback saying they only wanted travelers to see preferred vendors. This helps them better manage those preferred relationships."

Meanwhile, Brown said year-to-date revenues generated by SWABIZ have more than doubled over last year's levels. "We have registered companies of all shapes and size, up to and including the Fortune 500," Brown said. "The reasons for the growth is a focus on cost-cutting, and companies through SWABIZ can access our low fares and eliminate transaction fees."

SWABIZ's growth and new functionality come as a competing business travel portal, Delta Air Lines' MYOBTravel, begins to wind down operations ahead of a June 30 closure.