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Southwest Airlines Co. said today it would offer elite business travelers the chance to pay higher fares to board sooner and get frequent-flier bonuses and a cocktail.

The airline hopes the new "business select" fares will raise more than $100 million next year.

Airlines have been increasing fares in recent years, but rampant discounts have resulted in fewer passengers paying full price.

In the late 1990s, about 40% of Southwest passengers paid full fare, but that's down to 25 percent now, chief executive Gary Kelly said. He hopes to stop that slide and sell some seats at the new, higher "business-select" prices.

Business-select passengers will pay $10 to $30 more per flight than Southwest's current top fares, Kelly said. The airline plans to set aside about 10% of its seats for the new category.

Kelly said Southwest didn't test the concept of charging more for early boarding, but he said the trade-off "is something we think customers will highly value."

Customers will have the option of paying current walk-up fares, a category called simply "business," and cheaper but more restricted fares called "Wanna Get Away" and aimed at leisure travelers.

Business travelers are generally less sensitive to price, so they often pay more than leisure travelers. Attracting business travelers is important to Southwest, which is looking for ways to offset rising fuel costs.

Southwest has long resisted corporate discounts, which many other airlines negotiate one at a time with their biggest customers.

The strategy for chasing business travelers was announced one day before Southwest rolls out its new boarding process nationwide. Travelers will be assigned spots in line instead of being herded into three large boarding groups.

The airline is also updating its gates at more than 60 airports, a project that will cost more than $40 million.

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