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27 April 2026 (Geneva) – Southwest Airlines has joined IATA's Schedule Data Exchange Program (SDEP), bringing the number of contributing airlines to 190. The SDEP was launched in late 2023 to build a uniquely airline-owned schedule and minimum connecting time exceptions database. Schedule data underpins many aspects of an airline's business, including network planning, slot coordination, and interline agreements. Data coverage now exceeds 70% available seat kilometers (ASKs) of airlines based in Asia, Middle East, and Africa, and is expected to reach 90% coverage globally by end of 2026. Protecting Industry Data A key benefit of the SDEP lies in its give-to-get principle, where airlines provide their schedule data while receiving enriched global schedule data to power internal analytics and smarter planning. This includes details on flight schedules, aircraft types, cabin configurations, and cargo payload. The SDEP is governed by contributing airlines in compliance with competition and antitrust laws, strict data release policies, and adherence to data security and privacy best practices. Airline Initiative "IATA's SDEP aims to give airlines control and ownership of the industry's collective schedule data while improving data security and reliability. Southwest joining the SDEP marks a significant step forward in strengthening the overall value of the SDEP database and a strong signal to other airlines that they should be part of this program," said Frederic Leger, IATA Senior Vice President Products & Services. "As an industry data set, airlines depend heavily on schedule data in their business planning. It makes sense that this data is managed and shared across all participants, and therefore we are pleased to be active contributors to this program," said Daniel Jones, VP Network Planning at Southwest Airlines.
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