Southwest Airlines is undergoing major changes this week, in an effort to boost its profitability. Yesterday, the airline started charging for checked bags, but that’s not the only major policy change that has been implemented as of this week.
Continue reading: Southwest Airlines Flight Credits Now Expire After 6-12 Months
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Another super important thing to note- any changes made to already booked reservations prior to May 28th will take on the new fare rules. So, if you adjust a previously Wanna Get Away Fare to Basic for a flight credit, or to a higher fare class, the new fare rules will take effect and those credits will also have expiry.
The new checked bag fare rules will also take effect on any changes made from already booked tickets. $35 for 1st bag and $45 for 2nd bag, unless A List, A List Preferred, or a SW co-branded card holder.
To quote the Linked-in obsessed corporate weasel from Elliott Investments, upon laying eyes on WN: "Burn it down...burn it all down!"
Southwest is trually now algned with other major carriers. Except for the lack of lounges near its gates at many terminals and meal service and ...
Cranky Flier noted that Basic fares are the same as WGA for a downgraded product. I would expect WN to have to discount Basic since its lacks most of the perks that came with WGA. Will be curious how WN sales are affect and it adjusts.
Are any of the benefits that go with the Chase-Southwest credit card(s) going to change?
This will be a fantastic case study for investors and corporate leadership alike in this tight-margin, cyclical industry. SW is basically throwing away their value props and trusting that brand loyalty, footprint/route and customer experience will keep them in competition. Quite a gamble.
Seems very New Coke to me but in this short-attention-span world, you can walk back dumb decisions more easily than ever. So, why not shoot the moon with your board and stock price breathing down your neck?
Hey Ben, don't know if you've seen this video from Wendover Productions uploaded today about what's going on at Southwest recently. He's a YouTuber that seems to have a particular affinity for aviation, and you've linked to a few of his videos from his sister channel, Half as Interesting, in the past. It doesn't really tell us anything new or what you haven't covered before, but covers it all in a succinct, approachable way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD-rLIz9XUo
I will rarely fly Southwest going forward and I will use points if I should
Why would I use revenue and then worry if my credit expires at all?
I’m sitting on millions of points with Chase but typically use them for hotels or when a point transfer bonus arises for an airline
With all the changes, the only reason to fly SW instead of any other airline is the companion pass. It still amounts to a huge saving for my wife and me -- especially since, (unlike Alaska), the primary flyer can use points. That way we both can basically fly free!
It appears that the flight credits expire 6 months (Basic) and 12 months (Wanna Get Away Plus) after the ISSUE date. Which means that if you are the type to book flights well in advance, the "credit" for a Basic flight would not even be able to be used if you booked more than 6 months in advance. This is huge downgrade and another reason to break my loyalty to Southwest
The 6 month expiry from the time the ticket was issued is basically a scam and is nothing more than a pure 'screw you' to customers. I too don't understand how Southwest is supposed to return to major profitability by getting rid of everything that made them unique and that most customers loved and replacing those things with the most-hated features of other domestic airlines. I am not a frequent traveler; I make only 4-6 round trips per year on average. Still, I looked at my records and for the last 7 years, and I took almost 89% of my flights in those 7 years with Southwest, primarily due to them not nickel and diming customers for every little thing. Now I have absolutely no reason to prefer Southwest at all. I live within 50 minutes of two major US airports. From now on, whichever airline and whichever airport offers the best (i.e., cheapest) airfare for my particularly itinerary gets my money.
I really don't like this. It makes me buy fewer tickets. For ex., just now I was going to book a ticket for my grandson to visit, but seeing the new policy, I can't book it because his schedule is too changeable and he wouldn't be able to use a flight credit within 6 months.
I will opt out of Southwest. If I’m now getting the same as everybody else I will go somewhere else