WHY IT RATES: Travel agents will be excited to learn about Southwest’s partnership with Lyft in order to make transportation to and from the airport easier than ever.—Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.

Southwest Airlines Co. is partnering with rideshare company Lyft, the fastest growing rideshare company in the U.S., to let customers catch a Lyft on the way to the airport.

The enhancement will offer Southwest customers added convenience for transportation to the airport through the Southwest Airlines mobile app for both iOS and Android. Information for requesting a ride with Lyft generally will appear in the mobile app within four hours of Customer travel.

The message encourages customers to consider Lyft rideshare service to travel to or from the airport—showing Southwest customers the time to airport and estimated cost of the ride. Customers will begin seeing Lyft banners in the mobile app on June 28 when Southwest releases the update.

"At Southwest, we're always looking for innovative ways to enhance our Customer Experience from the moment someone considers travel to the moment they land at their destination," said Ryan Green, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. "Our new integration with Lyft aims to make this particular part of the travel experience seamless by starting and ending a Customer's journey with just a tap of a button."

In order to have the fully customized mobile app experience, including awareness of rideshare opportunities with Lyft, Southwest customers must be logged into the mobile app with location services turned on.

For more information, reach out to your local travel agent.

SOURCE: Southwest Airlines press release.