For the first time in years, Southwest Airlines doesn’t anticipate turning an annual profit. Over the past several years, the Dallas-based airline has enjoyed success and growth even as other carriers seemed to collapse. However, with fuel prices continuing to rise and a potential recession looming, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly knows 2008 is going to be a challenging year. Starting in 2007, Southwest Airlines started an aggressive marketing campaign directed towards business travelers, hoping the added profit would help to counteract rising fuel expenditures. One of the major directives of the campaign was introducing Southwest Airlines’ Business Select Airfare, which gives business travelers the first shot at seat selection. Southwest Airlines’ new boarding process also ensures that business travelers won’t have to stake their claim to a decent seat by plopping down on the floor an hour before take-off. Keep reading to get Gary Kelly’s perspective on business travel in the upcoming year…

According to Kelly, Southwest has always been designed for the business traveler, and if you look at the Southwest model, he does have a valid point. Southwest offers several flights to major cities throughout the day, they pride themselves on strong customer service, and they offer relatively cheap airfare for those who can’t purchase airline tickets two or three weeks in advance.

Despite their offerings though, Southwest has become known by many as the family airline. They offer a special boarding time for families and their open seating can make it easier to corral all the kids. Kelly seems to realize this, and that is why the airline has dedicated itself to getting their message out to business travelers again. They want to make it clear that if you’re flying for the company, you’re going to benefit from flying Southwest Airlines:

“So, we are moving away from a one-size-fits-all, because business travelers’ needs are different. There are things that they want and are willing to pay for and we are tweaking our product offering to better meet the needs of those business travelers.” (From San Francisco Chronicle)

Kelly is quick to point out that business travel expenses are often the first thing to go during a recession, so it remains to be seen if Southwest’s marketing push will pay off. In the mean time, if you’re a business traveler who has shied away from Southwest in the past, it might be worth checking out their latest offerings. If you do, please let us know if you think the airline is “meeting your needs” as a business traveler.