The last year has seen major changes for Southwest Airlines which essentially took an axe to its business model by adding assigned seating, removing free checked bags, overhauling its Rapid Rewards frequent flyer program, and adding extra legroom seating to its aircraft. Now it appears that more changes may be on the horizon and they aren’t good.
Southwest is Considering Companion Pass Changes
As first reported by Danny the Deal Guru, Southwest Airlines has been sending out a survey recently asking customers for their thoughts regarding potential changes to the Rapid Rewards loyalty program.
Specifically the survey is asking passengers about a new loyalty program that would offer either four or five tiers, the carrier currently has a two tier loyalty program, where the top tier would receive Companion Pass as a benefit. In this hypothetical situation, top tier members would also receive three free checked bags, 2 drinks per flight, and priority lane access.
Currently to earn Companion Pass you need to fly 100 flights or earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. Some articles are reporting that you would need to fly between 40 and 60 flights or earn between 90-160k points through travel or spending on a cobranded Southwest credit card to earn Companion Pass under the new system, but that doesn’t seem right.
The number of flights needed to earn Companion Pass today is higher that what has been reported by a wide margin and, based on the direction we’ve seen Southwest move, I doubt we would see any consumer friendly changes occurring in a shakeup like this. While this is far from final, the airline is considering changes enough that it’s requesting feedback from passengers.
Companion Pass is Southwest’s Last Great Differentiator
A year ago, Southwest airlines was a totally different airline when compared to the major air carriers in the United States. It offered two free checked bags and didn’t have assigned or extra legroom seating.
While all of those differentiators have changes to be more in line with what you’ll find on other airlines, Companion Pass is a major differentiator for Southwest. If you aren’t familiar with Companion Pass it is basically a two-for-one ticket wherein a passenger tan have a friend or family member fly with them free of charge (just paying any applicable taxes and fees).
This is one of the most generous frequent flyer program benefits out there and one that the airline leverages as part of its promotions from time to time. If changes to the Companion Pass are drastic, it could cause many people to move away from the airline, especially in my home state of Texas.
Before moving to Austin I spent five years in Dallas and had many friends that were fiercely loyal to Southwest. The carrier’s base of operations at Dallas Love Field (DAL) is more convenient than DFW for the majority of them and having the ability to earn Companion Pass was a no-brainer.
Many friends and neighbors had Southwest credit cards and would hit Companion Pass status year after year through a combination of travel and card spend. If the perk goes away or is diluted significantly, could we see folks like that turn towards other airlines?
Southwest has a large presence in many major cities but I can’t think of many of its focus cities (the airline doesn’t have hubs) that don’t have direct competition from one of the legacy carriers. If the airline moves forward to changes it could mark the end of the Southwest we’ve known for a long time.
I’m flying with Southwest later this week and I’m going to be on the lookout for a post-flight survey to see what questions are being asked.
Summary
Southwest Airlines appears to be considering changes to its popular Companion Pass perk in the latest shakeup for the Dallas based carrier. While nothing has been finalized the airline has been asking for customer feedback on a new rewards program with more tiers which could negatively impact the Companion Pass perk.
