Southwest Airlines makes generous offer of apology to some customers

Southwest Airlines, struggling after the December booking collapse, wants to entice people to book with it again.

Airlines thrive on repeat business.

For this reason, they all have loyalty programs designed so that passengers book directly and do not even consider flying with another company. And that’s an area where Southwest Airlines (light) – Get a free report has prospered

For decades, the company has built a positive relationship with customers based on low fares, friendly flight attendants and the lack of hidden fees. That combination has pushed people to join its Rapid Rewards loyalty program and make Southwest their airline of choice.

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For some passengers, that’s still true, but the airline lost a lot of loyalty with its December meltdown. The company stranded tens of thousands of customers over the holiday season, and many felt its response to those issues did not show enough remorse or fairly compensate customers, given the great inconvenience they suffered.

Those holiday season issues may have affected the loyalty of some Southwest regulars. Now, the airline has sent some former flyers a bold offer to entice them to work toward A-list status in the Rapid Rewards program.

Why the southwestern state is important

Southwest’s Rapid Rewards program has two earned status levels, A-List and A-List Preferred. There are two ways to earn those levels: achieve a qualifying number of one-way flights or earn enough points to qualify. The airline’s website explains how this works:

A Member who flies 25 one-way qualifying flights booked through Southwest Airlines or earns 35,000 tier qualifying points per calendar year will qualify for A-List status. More information on tier qualifying flights and tier points qualification that qualify for the level at the end. A Member who flies 50 qualifying one-way flights booked through Southwest Airlines or earns 70,000 tier qualifying points per calendar year will qualify for A-List Preferred status.

Earnings status is important because A-List clients get a number of benefits, including automatic registration. That usually puts those members in the first “A” boarding party, and if not, members of List A can enter the bottom of the “A” party before the “B” party embarks.

The airline also recently added another perk that increases the value of being at least an A-list: same-day flight changes.

“Tier customers now have access to a same-day confirmed change with no base fare difference if a seat becomes available on the same calendar day,” the airline shared.

That’s a change from the previous system, which allowed A-list members to fly standby at no additional charge. Allowing them to make same-day changes is a huge advantage, as passengers don’t have to go to the airport early to try to board a flight that may not have room for them.

Southwest makes it easier to get status

Southwest wants to make sure it retains its most loyal customers, and emailed some of them an offer that included three ways to get tier status faster. People who got the offer must register to enroll in the program.

The company explained how the email promotion works:

• Earn 2X on flights: Earn double-tier qualification points on all qualifying flights when you check in, book and fly between March 1 and May 31, 2023.
• Earn with reward travel: Each flight purchased with points counts as a tier-qualifying flight, and 10% of the points redeemed qualify as (tier-qualifying points) when you check in, book, and fly between March 1 and March 31. May 2023.
• Earn with Rapid Rewards Credit card purchases: Earn 3,000 tier qualifying points for every $5,000 in purchases you make with any Rapid Rewards credit card from March 1 to May 31, 2023. These additional TQPs are on top of the TQPs you already earn as a cardholder.

The first part of the offer is the most generous. Earning double qualifying points allows more people to earn or come close to earning A-List status. When that’s in the offing, it encourages people to find a reason to fly to Southwest and earn the status.

When a passenger achieves A-List or Preferred A-List status, they get benefits for the remainder of the current year and for the entire following year.