{
  "service": "Agent Outposts",
  "logging": "Intent registrations are logged in aggregate (brand, intent, result counts, hashed caller id) for demand statistics. No raw IP addresses are stored; free-text fields are stored only as provided.",
  "disclaimer": "Agent Outposts is not affiliated with Southwest Airlines. This Outpost is a demand registry operated by Agent Outposts; door-state data is compiled from public sources (evidence linked per claim) and is not provided, reviewed, or endorsed by Southwest Airlines.",
  "outpost": "southwestairlines",
  "brand": "Southwest Airlines",
  "category": "Airlines",
  "status": "collecting_demand",
  "headline": "Southwest exposes a real owned API (SPS Direct Connect) plus full GDS participation, but only to approved corporate/TMC partners and ARC-accredited agencies — OTAs and consumer-facing distribution are explicitly not approved, and there is no public developer door.",
  "wall_summary": "Southwest exposes a real owned API, Southwest Partner Services Direct Connect, plus full GDS participation, but only to approved corporate and travel-management partners and ARC-accredited agencies. OTAs and consumer-facing meta-search distribution are explicitly not approved, and there is no public developer door.",
  "door_state_version": "census-2026-11-01",
  "door_state": {
    "inventory": {
      "state": "partner_gated",
      "via": "SPS API / GDS / SWABIZ",
      "evidence_url": "https://www.southwest.com/corporate-travel/account-management/",
      "checked_at": "2026-11-01",
      "note": "Official page: last-seat availability and real-time inventory confirmation are provided in SWABIZ, SPS and all three GDSs — all partner channels; no public availability API."
    },
    "menu_browse": {
      "state": "partner_gated",
      "via": "Southwest Partner Services (SPS) — Southwest's owned API/Direct Connect — and GDS (Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre)",
      "evidence_url": "https://www.southwest.com/corporate-travel/account-management/",
      "checked_at": "2026-11-01",
      "note": "Southwest's official corporate page: fares are available via corporate booking tool, GDS, or SWABIZ; SPS is 'our API/Direct Connect technology' for partner booking tools, with benefits/fees based on the travel-management partner relationship. No public developer portal. Content is restricted to approved ARC-accredited U.S. agencies; Southwest states OTAs/meta-search agencies are NOT approved for GDS content distribution to consumers."
    },
    "ordering": {
      "state": "partner_gated",
      "via": "SPS API/Direct Connect (book, modify, cancel, defer bookings, apply flight credits) and GDS with ARC settlement",
      "evidence_url": "https://www.southwest.com/corporate-travel/account-management/",
      "checked_at": "2026-11-01",
      "note": "SPS offers 'full Southwest functionality to book, modify, cancel, defer bookings, and apply flight credits' per the official page, gated by partner/TMC relationship and fees that vary by partner. Historically Southwest also joined ATPCO/SITA NDC Exchange (2019) for corporate sellers, retaining control over which sellers access content."
    },
    "prices": {
      "state": "partner_gated",
      "via": "SPS API / GDS (promotional fares only via SWABIZ and SPS, not GDS)",
      "evidence_url": "https://www.southwest.com/corporate-travel/account-management/",
      "checked_at": "2026-11-01",
      "note": "Official channel matrix: promotional/full-content fares are available in SWABIZ and SPS but not in the GDSs; everyday low fares are in all GDSs. All programmatic price access is through these gated business channels. Trade press (Aug 2026) reports Southwest evolving its in-house API toward direct-connect NDC by end of 2026 and Amadeus Altea NDC in 2027 — not yet a general door."
    },
    "tracking": {
      "state": "partner_gated",
      "via": "SPS/GDS servicing (change/cancel, reusable-funds management; GDS bookings viewable on southwest.com)",
      "evidence_url": "https://www.southwest.com/corporate-travel/account-management/",
      "checked_at": "2026-11-01",
      "note": "Booking tracking/servicing is programmatic only inside SPS/GDS channels per the official distribution matrix; standalone flight status is a human southwest.com/app feature and no public flight-status API was found after checking the SPS/GDS program pages and agent-native surfaces."
    }
  },
  "official_channels": [
    {
      "name": "Southwest Partner Services (SPS) Direct Connect API",
      "kind": "partner_program",
      "covers": [
        "menu_browse",
        "prices",
        "inventory",
        "ordering",
        "tracking"
      ],
      "gate": "Southwest's owned API and Direct Connect technology is available only through a travel-management partner relationship, with benefits and fees based on that relationship and content restricted to approved ARC-accredited agencies.",
      "evidence_url": "https://www.southwest.com/corporate-travel/account-management/"
    },
    {
      "name": "GDS (Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre)",
      "kind": "partner_program",
      "covers": [
        "menu_browse",
        "prices",
        "inventory",
        "ordering",
        "tracking"
      ],
      "gate": "GDS access is limited to approved ARC-accredited agencies with ARC settlement, everyday low fares are distributed there, and promotional and full-content fares are not available in the GDSs.",
      "evidence_url": "https://www.southwest.com/corporate-travel/account-management/"
    },
    {
      "name": "SWABIZ",
      "kind": "sanctioned_channel",
      "covers": [
        "menu_browse",
        "prices",
        "inventory"
      ],
      "gate": "SWABIZ is Southwest's corporate booking channel for partner accounts, carrying promotional and full-content fares plus last-seat availability and real-time inventory confirmation.",
      "evidence_url": "https://www.southwest.com/corporate-travel/account-management/"
    }
  ],
  "agent_native": {
    "api_catalog": false,
    "llms_txt": false,
    "mcp_server": false
  },
  "bot_posture": {
    "summary": "Crawl-light but distribution-tight: southwest.com/robots.txt (HTTP 200) only disallows /v2/ and a sitemap file for all crawlers (naming only SEO bots with Allow rules); /llms.txt and /.well-known/api-catalog both returned 404. The real gate is commercial, not technical: official policy denies OTA/meta-search distribution approval",
    "evidence_url": "https://www.southwest.com/robots.txt"
  },
  "alternatives": {
    "menu_browse": {
      "count": 3,
      "access": "register_intent"
    },
    "prices": {
      "count": 3,
      "access": "register_intent"
    },
    "inventory": {
      "count": 3,
      "access": "register_intent"
    },
    "ordering": {
      "count": 3,
      "access": "register_intent"
    },
    "tracking": {
      "count": 2,
      "access": "register_intent"
    }
  },
  "alternatives_policy": "Ranked by fit only. Placement is never sold.",
  "register_intent": {
    "method": "POST",
    "url": "https://api.agentoutposts.com/outposts/southwestairlines/intent",
    "body": {
      "intent": "one of: menu_browse | prices | inventory | ordering | tracking",
      "detail": "optional context for the brand (max 500 chars), e.g. the task you were trying to complete. Never include personal data — no names, addresses, or order details.",
      "agent_label": "optional self-declared agent name (max 80 chars). Never put personal data in this field.",
      "est_frequency": "optional, e.g. '40/day'",
      "notify": "'poll' (default) or 'webhook'",
      "notify_url": "required when notify = 'webhook'"
    },
    "returns": "A receipt: ticket, queue position, live demand snapshot, alternatives for your intent, and (poll mode) a notify URL that reports door-state changes.",
    "limits": "100 intent registrations per caller per day"
  }
}