Southwest forecasts a slower recovery in business travel

DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines says corporate travel is recovering a bit more slowly than the airline had expected. Southwest said Thursday that revenue from “managed” business travel in the quarter ending Sept. 30 will be down 26% to 28% from 2019 levels. That’s a bigger drop than Southwest had forecast earlier. The airline says sales of last-minute business-related travel turned softer starting in late July. Still, the airline expects a seasonal boost in business travel now that summer is over. Southwest says leisure travel demand continues to be strong, even after the end of the traditional summer-vacation season.