ByrdluvsAWACO posted this at 11:53PM Central Time. He was the very first to post the news here on FT:
As reported by dallasnews.com:
Southwest Airlines revamps rewards program for frequent fliers
•
Old: Free travel was limited to the cities served by Southwest.
New : Points can be used to buy airline tickets and pay for other travel costs in Hawaii, Alaska and international destinations, through Maritz Travel.
•
Old: Credits in the program expired 24 months after they were earned.
New: Rapid Rewards points will never expire, as long as the member has some activity during the previous 24 months.
•
Old: The airline automatically issued a ticket for a free flight once it was earned, whether the passenger wanted it then.
New: The airline will issue the ticket when the member requests.
•
Old: Passengers earned a single credit per flight, whether the trip went 182 miles from Dallas to Austin on a $49 "Wanna Get Away" ticket or 1,990 miles from Baltimore to Phoenix on a $459 "Business Select" ticket.
New: The points earned go up as the price of the ticket goes up, with bonuses for full-fare tickets and elite status fliers.
•
Old: Passengers got one free ticket for every 16 credits, regardless of how much they paid or the length of their flights.
New: The points needed are directly tied to the price of the free ticket being acquired.