Nov. 03--Southwest Airlines on Monday began offering Beats Music service aboard its Wi-Fi-enabled aircraft, the carrier said.
Southwest, which carries more passengers from Chicago than any other airline, said passengers can listen to pop, rock, country and other genres handpicked by Beats Music "curators."
Accessing the service is free and includes a library of hundreds of playlists, the airline said.
The service was introduced Monday at a live demonstration aboard the official Beats Music-decaled Boeing 737 aircraft departing Dallas Love Field for Chicago Midway on afternoon flight 732 with dance pop band Cobra Starship on board. Customers will have an opportunity to meet the band. Southwest Airlines also is celebrating with customers on Flight 1527 with Elephant Revival, flying from Portland to Denver. Kids, explain it to your folks.
Customers can stream playlists through the Southwest entertainment portal using their personal electronic devices.
The airline also said over the weekend that it has integrated AirTran Airways booking and frequent-flier functions into Southwest.com. It bought AirTran in 2011.
Southwest also celebrated its conversion of AirTran international flights at Midway airport to the Southwest brand and aircraft. Those flights were to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Cancun, Mexico; and Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Chicago Midway airport is Southwest's largest departure location, with 258 daily. The airline has been operating from Midway since 1985.
gkarp@tribune.com
Twitter @spendingsmart
