According to southwest`s Department of Transportation (DOT), the number one (lowest number of complaints) of all U.S. airlines is for customer complaints. Southwest Airlines has consistently received the lowest rate of complaints per passenger, which have been flown by all major U.S. airlines that report dot statistics since 1987, when DOT began tracking customer satisfaction statistics and publishing its consumer Air Travel report. Southwest Airlines Pilots` Association spokesman Neal Hanks said the union did not object to Southwest developing relationships with international airlines, but added that members wanted to ensure that pilot jobs were protected. The pilots previously approved two agreements that Southwest had with international airlines, one with Canada`s WestJet and the other with the Mexican Volaris, although Southwest does not operate the two carveouts. Revenues are certainly an important consideration, but they are not the only ones. Historically, Southwest has only flown within the United States, and most Americans are familiar with it and its low-cost brand. But elsewhere, the southwest is not known, and as it has spread to Mexico, he has discovered that selling tickets in a foreign country is a challenge. By working with international airlines, Southwest is banking on the fact that it can increase the reach of its brand, which can help if it continues to grow abroad. Although most airlines have transfer passenger agreements, Southwest cannot pursue them unilaterally. Instead, it needs the approval of its pilots` union, which has sometimes opposed the agreements, fearing that it will ultimately prevent the Southwest from adding more international flights.

Southwest is negotiating a new contract and discussions have been heated at times: pilots have called for the resignation of the company`s chief, Gary Kelly, and COO Mike Van de Ven, following the recent Southwest router failure. Southwest Airlines wants to negotiate new code-sharing and interline agreements with international airlines that would allow many long-haul customers arriving from Europe, Asia or elsewhere to switch to the same ticket for domestic flights in the southwest, executives said in an interview. Allegiant generally does not place passengers with other airlines after a flight has been cancelled, but will in rare cases provide coupons that can be used by another airline if the cancelled flight has not been rescheduled, spokeswoman Hilarie Grey said. I`ve been in the travel industry for almost 30 years, and the code for Southwest is WN. As a travel agency, we had to call them to make reservations if we could use our computer system to book all the other airlines, because they would not pay computer surcharges to be part of the system. In addition, they did not have ticketing agreements with other airlines, so they would not allow us to have part of the trip exhibited with another party on another airline on their tickets. Finally, they do not transfer luggage between them and other airlines. They wouldn`t serve meals. They were known as “non-airline dignity” at travel agencies. You didn`t make any bags… You must have been with another airline? Since the early 1970s, Southwest has generally adopted an independent strategy and prefers not to cooperate with other airlines. But as he grew up, he decided it might be time to grow, said Paul Cullen, Southwest`s vice president of finance.

In Europe, The Southwest Clone Ryanair made a similar calculation, with the company`s CEO stating that he was also willing to pursue the Interline agreements. “While we do not have interline agreements, we absolutely must put our customers on other airlines if our customer solutions team believes that the situation warrants it and that we are not able to take over Spirit within a reasonable time,” said Derek Dombrowski, a spokesman for Spirit.