As a self-described budget airline, Southwest lacks the cushy seats and airport lounges full-service airlines use to reward elite members of their loyalty programs. Southwest’s signature benefit for its best customers — and it’s a doozey — is the Companion Pass: free flights for a travel companion, for travelers who fly 100 one-way flights or accumulate 110,000 Rapid Rewards points.
Other than that, there’s not much Southwest can do for preferred customers, beyond offering them priority check-in and boarding, and bonus points for flying.
In September, Southwest began offering its A-List and A-List Preferred elite members free same-day standby flights, with the following restrictions:
Flights must be between the same city pairs Flights must be on the same day Flights must be within two hours of the originally scheduled flight
The first two requirements are non-issues; they’re expected. But requiring the alternative flight to depart within two hours of the original flight seemed both arbitrary and harsh.
Apparently that sentiment has carried the day, and Southwest has rescinded it: Effective on March 8, Southwest elites may standby for any earlier flight, as long as it’s on the same day and the same routing.
It’s a small thing, but a sign that Southwest is listening to its customers. And that’s a big thing.
More from SmarterTravel: There’s How Much Pee in That Pool…? Travel Fraud – Down but Not Out With Airline Pricing Changes, It’s Now a Bare Fares World
After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.
We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Enter the Holland America Line “Choose Your Cruise” sweepstakes by March 31, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a seven-day Holland America Line cruise for two to the winner’s choice of Alaska, Canada and New England, the Caribbean, or Europe, including most onboard meals.
Today’s announcement that Southwest has a new marketing relationship with a rideshare company was no surprise. As rideshare services have become an ever-larger part of the travel landscape, such tie-ups have proliferated. It won’t be long before every airline and hotel loyalty program has a rideshare company on its roster of points-earning partners.
Likely in response to JetBlue’s systemwide double-points promotion, in effect through February 29, Virgin America is also offering double points, but only on select routes.
With the high probability of Virgin America’s being folded into Alaska Airlines within the next two years, Virgin loyalists are in the market for an alternative. And JetBlue wants to be that alternative.
Enter the Clos Du Bois “Spring in Sonoma” sweepstakes by April 26, 2016, for a chance to win one of the two grand prizes: trips for two to Sonoma, including air, three nights’ hotel, and $700 spending money.
Hilton titled the news release announcing upcoming changes to its Honors loyalty program as follows: “Hilton Honors Delivers Even More to Its Members in 2018 with Industry-Leading Earn Rates and New Benefits.”
In April, when the FAA removed restrictions on additional flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, the hope was that other airlines would increase their share of the airport’s flights, in the process eroding United’s dominance and near-monopoly pricing in that important market.