Southwest Rapid Rewards - Flew Business Select this Week

I took my first WN RT flight in over two years this week. I purchased a BS ticket and checked in less than two hours before each flight. Both legs of the trip I was issued an "A" PB. The first flight I was given "A" 03, the second "A" 06.

I'm quite delighted with this new change. I do a lot of travel and can pay a little extra $$$ to insure I get my two carry-ons stowed. As we all know, an "A" guarentees this.

Definitely a smart business move by WN to impliment this change.^

I took my first WN RT flight in over two years this week. I purchased a BS ticket and checked in less than two hours before each flight. Both legs of the trip I was issued an "A" PB. The first flight I was given "A" 03, the second "A" 06.

I'm quite delighted with this new change. I do a lot of travel and can pay a little extra $$$ to insure I get my two carry-ons stowed. As we all know, an "A" guarentees this.

Definitely a smart business move by WN to impliment this change.^

I assume you actually mean one carry on and one personal item, correct?;)

I assume you actually mean one carry on and one personal item, correct?;) Spoken like a true WN pax.:p

Definitely a smart business move by WN to impliment this change.^

Thank you for helping keep my fares down. ^

I am an A-Lister with WN, I haven't seen one BS since change took place......not one! Have had A-16 3 times and was first one on all 3 flights. Why buy a BS Fare?

Why buy a BS Fare?

If you already purchase Business/Refundable Anytime fares, and do not qualify for A-List, the price difference to skip the OLCI hassle, board first and have the best opportunity at "your" seat and overhead bin space is negligible.

If you already purchase Business/Refundable Anytime fares, and do not qualify for A-List, the price difference to skip the OLCI hassle, board first and have the best opportunity at "your" seat and overhead bin space is negligible.

Agreed, unless you are 8 feet tall and absolutely must have 12F.

If you already purchase Business/Refundable Anytime fares, and do not qualify for A-List, the price difference to skip the OLCI hassle, board first and have the best opportunity at "your" seat and overhead bin space is negligible.
Aboso-freakin-lutely and for $15. Some of us were sick of all the WN hastle to get an "A". Now $15 or less and I'm gold. I do not care what any other people think. For a minor fee I can avoid the problems that drove me away two years ago.

xxxxx

Yes, when traveling on business, I won't care either. But traveling for pleasure with the family....I may start using other airlines, when before, I almost exclusively used WN.

will the boarding process really turn you away from WN for pleasure? Even if you have to pay more?

will the boarding process really turn you away from WN for pleasure? Even if you have to pay more?

Well it is making me personally consider my loyalty to Southwest. I don't like the idea of having to pay a hundred extra dollars than the "wanna get away" fares just to be guaranteed a top spot. Personally, the old process always seemed fare to me. What happens to the people who book really late, are they only offered Biz Select. If so, are they guaranteed an A spot? I think this new system with BS is BS. Well, I may end up changing my loyalty. I usually take about 20 roundtrips with southwest a year, and this year I only have 5. I have racked up more Rountrips with ExpressJet and United than ever. I really wish Southwest would stop changing so much. I like the new line system, but I hate this new BS system.

What happens to the people who book really late, are they only offered Biz Select.

They are offered both Business and Business Select assuming the latter is still available. There is a fixed amount of Business Select tickets per flight (currently fifteen; that is supposed to be tweaked up or down per flight once Revenue Management gathers enough historical demand data), so there is a chance last minute purchasers won't be able to purchase Business Select.

Apologies if this has been discussed before, but how they handle the free drink? Is it a drink voucher they issue at check-in?

Apologies if this has been discussed before, but how they handle the free drink? Is it a drink voucher they issue at check-in?
It is a drink coupon that prints when you print out your boarding pass.

Well it is making me personally consider my loyalty to Southwest. I don't like the idea of having to pay a hundred extra dollars than the "wanna get away" fares just to be guaranteed a top spot. Personally, the old process always seemed fare to me. What happens to the people who book really late, are they only offered Biz Select. If so, are they guaranteed an A spot? I think this new system with BS is BS. Well, I may end up changing my loyalty. I usually take about 20 roundtrips with southwest a year, and this year I only have 5. I have racked up more Rountrips with ExpressJet and United than ever. I really wish Southwest would stop changing so much. I like the new line system, but I hate this new BS system.

I am in the same boat. What was great about WN is that everyone was treated the same way and it was simple. It is no longer simple and now their are classes of people.

The mantra is gone, soon WN will be just like the rest, if not already headed that way fast.

I am also one who will be seriously considering other carriers. In my situation, I do not travel enough to get on the A-list and my wife and I pay the lowest available fare. Under these circumstances, we are unlikely to get any kind of decent boarding priority. In my opinion the extra money WN collects from BS fares will be offset by the loss of business from people like me. And I do not think business travelers who usually fly other carriers will be enticed to WN just with this new BP procedure.

If WN wanted to generate extra revenue, they should have done what Skybus does - just add a fee for priority boarding to whatever fare the person paid. I would have gladly paid $10/ticket each way for this.

Or they could have done what UA did - charge an annual fee that gives priority boarding for a year.

Spoken like a true WN pax.:p

Actually as a follower of TSA of policies.:)

I am also one who will be seriously considering other carriers. In my situation, I do not travel enough to get on the A-list and my wife and I pay the lowest available fare. Under these circumstances, we are unlikely to get any kind of decent boarding priority. In my opinion the extra money WN collects from BS fares will be offset by the loss of business from people like me. And I do not think business travelers who usually fly other carriers will be enticed to WN just with this new BP procedure.

If WN wanted to generate extra revenue, they should have done what Skybus does - just add a fee for priority boarding to whatever fare the person paid. I would have gladly paid $10/ticket each way for this.

Or they could have done what UA did - charge an annual fee that gives priority boarding for a year.

As a occasional traveler, similar to JerryFF, the wife and I also try to pay the lowest fares. We also would pay $10 per ticket for priority boarding. However, I also think most of the pax would pay that $10, just as most are using OLCI, and arriving early to get to the front of the A line. This would put us right back to the situation, pre-change.

As a longtime FT, and previously frequent traveler, I discuss air travel choices with most of my friends and acquaintances. Most travelers (non FT) base their carrier decisions on some or all of the following criteria:

1. Package available (air, hotel & car).
2. Price
3. Availability @ local airport
4. Route/connection
5. Schedule/time
6. Negative reaction based on a previous trip

Loyalty to an airline or FF program does not enter into their decision. We, the few, the proud, the FT, are in the small minority. Most only see the boarding policy change. SWA reserving A1-A15 for BS fares don't matter to them. A listers getting A16+ are not on their radar screen. The few of us leisure travelers here on FT can huff and puff all we want, but the loss of our revenue, will be more than offset by the one or two BS flights that replace us.

Personally, I think the changes are a positive, as I will never purchase a BS ticket, qualify for A+, and probably never achieve CP, unless I have extensive CC charges. The boarding change is a huge positive.

I am curious to see how many low fare FT pax will purchase on other airlines. Let us know how that works out for you. Yes, you will get that reserved seat. Forget about the exit row, if you are not a Status passenger. prepare for a connection, prepare for boarding after the Preferred, First Class and Plus pax. Then get ready for the gate lice you need to crawl through to get to the gate. See you back soon.

Hey FT'ers! We need to remember, we do not make up a large percentage of travelers. We are the smartest, most knowledgeable, possibly the most vocal pax, but probably not a large part of SWA's revenue base. Sometimes FT can become an echo chamber. We need to think of the larger picture and how the changes implemented impact across the entire customer base.

Hey Ft'ers! We need to remember, we do not make up a large percentage of travelers. We are the smartest, most knowledgeable, possibly the most vocal pax, but probably not a large part of SWA's revenue base. Sometimes FT can become an echo chamber. We need to think of the larger picture and how the changes implemented impact across the entire customer base.

Well said - but I'd like to add that if we FT'ers have a hard time figuring out the rules, learning the tricks and hitting the awards travel lottery (which it is becoming, IMO), what chance does the general public have?

As a occasional traveler, similar to JerryFF, the wife and I also try to pay the lowest fares. We also would pay $10 per ticket for priority boarding. However, I also think most of the pax would pay that $10, just as most are using OLCI, and arriving early to get to the front of the A line. This would put us right back to the situation, pre-change.

As a longtime FT, and previously frequent traveler, I discuss air travel choices with most of my friends and acquaintances. Most travelers (non FT) base their carrier decisions on some or all of the following criteria:

1. Package available (air, hotel & car).
2. Price
3. Availability @ local airport
4. Route/connection
5. Schedule/time
6. Negative reaction based on a previous trip

Loyalty to an airline or FF program does not enter into their decision. We, the few, the proud, the FT, are in the small minority. Most only see the boarding policy change. SWA reserving A1-A15 for BS fares don't matter to them. A listers getting A16+ are not on their radar screen. The few of us leisure travelers here on FT can huff and puff all we want, but the loss of our revenue, will be more than offset by the one or two BS flights that replace us.

Personally, I think the changes are a positive, as I will never purchase a BS ticket, qualify for A+, and probably never achieve CP, unless I have extensive CC charges. The boarding change is a huge positive.

I am curious to see how many low fare FT pax will purchase on other airlines. Let us know how that works out for you. Yes, you will get that reserved seat. Forget about the exit row, if you are not a Status passenger. prepare for a connection, prepare for boarding after the Preferred, First Class and Plus pax. Then get ready for the gate lice you need to crawl through to get to the gate. See you back soon.

Hey FT'ers! We need to remember, we do not make up a large percentage of travelers. We are the smartest, most knowledgeable, possibly the most vocal pax, but probably not a large part of SWA's revenue base. Sometimes FT can become an echo chamber. We need to think of the larger picture and how the changes implemented impact across the entire customer base.

Very well put. In my opinion, BS was established to bring back to SWA the high fare paying passengers that would avoid booking a SWA fare since they knew they would likely be in a poor seat since they either did not have enough flights to qualify for the A seating or needed to book a day of departure flight.

I am a Platinum on Continental and love SWA since as a result of their arrival in Philadelphia in May 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 years ago my cost of flying IAH-PHL has decreased over a $100, despite fare increases. I fly on the cheapest flights available, BUT if I needed to buy a full fare it would not have been on SWA since I would not have qualified for the A seating without a web check-in lottery. USAir would have been the alternative due to assigned seating. With the new boarding process, the choice if CAL was not an option woulld be based on price and I would consider SWA as well as USAir.

With the new policy, everyone is no longer treated the same and this is as it should be, since everyone is not paying the same fare. This is life, those who can afford to pay the higher price receive better treatment, whether buying a car, a hotel room, a home, clothes or even medical care and legal representation. The only quote I remember from Jimmy Carter was "Life is not fair (fare).

Well said - but I'd like to add that if we FT'ers have a hard time figuring out the rules, learning the tricks and hitting the awards travel lottery (which it is becoming, IMO), what chance does the general public have?

That's just the point. Most of the general public does not care about any of this. They don't want to spend the time to find the tricks, change credit cards, research, and learn the secrets. To them, it's A) we are going to Grandma's. B) We need 5 tix C) What is the cheapest fare. They don't join FF programs, or if they do, never accumulate enough miles/points to redeem an award before expiration.

Like all lotteries, you can't win if you don't play, and they don't play.

I think this is a good change for WN and will get them more business travelers. I think the main complaint with them is the "I bought a $600 ticket last-minute and I get treated the same as everyone else." Or in many cases, worse.

I personally could care less about the ABC thing. I check my bags, and unless I'm traveling with a companion I just take the first seat I find. The only way I would blackball a seat is if it's next to children or the obese.

Traveler

We, the few, the proud, the FT, are in the small minority. Most only see the boarding policy change. SWA reserving A1-A15 for BS fares don't matter to them. A listers getting A16+ are not on their radar screen. The few of us leisure travelers here on FT can huff and puff all we want, but the loss of our revenue, will be more than offset by the one or two BS flights that replace us.

Absolutely. Not only that, but the added revenue SWA earns from BS will help offset rev lost funding the kinds of great promotions (ding, email sales, etc.) that leisure travelers want to take advantage of.

offset rev lost funding the kinds of great promotions (ding, email sales, etc.) that leisure travelers want to take advantage of.

Revenue isn't lost from ding, email sales, etc. If they could sell those seats for regular fares then they wouldn't be offering the discounts.

Revenue isn't lost from ding, email sales, etc.
When I change a prior purchase to a lower Ding fare for the same flight, Southwest loses revenue.

Obviously, if that happened more often than the discounts generating additional fares they would stop offering the discounts.

When I change a prior purchase to a lower Ding fare for the same flight, Southwest loses revenue.

Yes and no and maybe. Don't forget, you were very likely to buy the original purchase from SWA because of the full knowledge that they might have a Ding sale and because you can change flights w/o a change fee.

So yes, they did lose a little money in the one particular instance, but that is offset by your greater likelihood of purchasing from them in the first place.

I'm also going to guess you are like me nsx - in most cases, especially if it's a short flight, you don't even compare fares, you just go to Southwest.com and buy your ticket. Again, SWA is your first choice because you know if a sale comes down the pike at a later date, you can rebook at the lower rate and use the difference next time you make a reservation.

I fly WN on basically one route: MDW-BNA, and occasionally MDW-IND. For years, walkup was $278 - now it's $298. When I buy walkup, I'll buy BS for the return flight, it's worth the $15 to not have to stop what I'm doing at 6pm the night before and get a boarding pass.

But if I can get a cheap fare, I'll take it and my chances. I just need an aisle in about row 17. With usually 7-10 thrus on those flights because there are corresponding nonstops at about the same times, I'm good with even B10. I just hated flying WN before because being #47 meant that I had to stand in the front of the B line for 40 minutes to get my aisle ahead of #88.

But the whole BS/A-List plan will get WN more of my business, even when I'm flying a Ding fare. As an example.... I bought a Ding fare on Saturday for mid-December, $122. I don't know when I'm going for sure, but I have a good clue, and I think I'll be able to at least use the outbound part. If I guessed wrong on the return, I'll buy a one-way BS fare instead about three days out, and the extra $15 is worth it at that point over full Y.

Before BS, I wouldn't have bothered, because I did not want to stand at the front of the B line. I would have waited until I knew my dates, and if AA was about the same price as WN at that moment, I'd pick AA.

In short, I save money with a lower average travel cost (Ding out, BS back is about $228), Southwest gets my business over AA, who won't possibly have a $122 fare by the time the trip dates are set, and I will almost certainly get an aisle seat both ways.

Who exactly loses here?

Who exactly loses here?

Isn't it obvioius? The #88 guy on a Ding fare both ways who used to enjoy acing you out of your aisle seat by camping in line! ;)

Blogsouthwest is full of exactly those people complaining about the changes.

Isn't it obvioius? The #88 guy on a Ding fare both ways who used to enjoy acing you out of your aisle seat by camping in line! ;)

Blogsouthwest is full of exactly those people complaining about the changes.
Yep, but they are a captive market... they're probably not going to fly a different carrier because they're never going to ever get anything other than a middle seat and a $100 change fee from any of them.

So if I'm Gary Kelly, I don't particularly care. :)

Agreed, unless you are 8 feet tall and absolutely must have 12F.

....and the flight you are about to board is an originating flight and not a connecting flight. In that case, I will already be sitting in 12F with my feet up grinning at you.

Blogsouthwest is full of exactly those people complaining about the changes.

If they can spend time complaining on Blogsouthwest, they can OLCI 24 hrs before the flight, ya think?

I just flew two more BS RT's this week. Got A03-A13 on all segments.

I hopped an earlier flight on one return. The CS did the change in the terminal and even though I was changing the flight within one hour of departure, I still recieved A03 BP. Also, upon boarding only one segment, the GA called out me and three others by name as BS flyers and asked us to step up and get on first. I like it!!!

....and the flight you are about to board is an originating flight and not a connecting flight. In that case, I will already be sitting in 12F with my feet up grinning at you.

So you are on every connecting flight WN operates cross-network?

Wow, no wonder you managed to pick up A-List so quickly. :D ^

(That is one nice thing about DAL flights: anything going to a major city is likely going to either be originating or have very few connecting pax, since nobody likes making 2+ stops when a non-stop or a 1-stop is available)

To veer back on-topic, I flew Southwest for the first time after the changes this week (28 Nov and 01 Dec), and noticed very few changes. The A01-A15 slots had at most two people in them--for a DAL-LAS RT--and I still got A31-33 for the three of us together, even checking in 2.5 hours after the window. (Stupid paper tickets, but my rant for Southwest Vacations is for another time) No, I'll probably never sit in an exit row on WN again, but on their planes that doesn't seem to bother me. For some reason, and maybe it's just my perception, but the legroom on the left side of WN's planes seems quite good, especially compared to AA's MD80s.

....and the flight you are about to board is an originating flight and not a connecting flight. In that case, I will already be sitting in 12F with my feet up grinning at you.

You must have long legs to prop them up on 10F. ;)

I am really enjoying the changes. I am an A lister, and I have not seen more than 3 people in the first 15 spots.

I used to tack onto the back of the A line, but now I am generally about the 5th person on. Many flights I catch have through passengers already on them, so I know getting an exit seat is unlikely. If I really wanted an exit row, I am AA platinum, and I would be flying AA.

Whenever I am a through passenger, I used to love the look on the first couple of people's faces, as they came through the door to discover the exit rows, along with the front 2 rows were already taken. That is an hour of their lives they won't get back. Unfortunately, BS removes my amusement there, as the campers are gone.

I would love WN to update the RR program, so you can get a RR for each segment flown, rather than 1 per trip. I fly on 4 flights a week (2 each way), spending on average $450 for a round trip, and it seems unfair, I only get 2RR for each flight, whilst those flying on a $140 2 flight round trip get the same number of rewards.

I saw an A7 boarding pass today. That's at least 7 Business Select seats sold, on a 1-hour flight. Pretty impressive.

I flew BS for the first time yesterday MCI-MDW-ISP and it just may work!! Especially if you are already paying full fare and someone else is paying the tab, which is really want BS is all about. And a connection is involved. Mine was $20 more.

1 - The new boarding system is still confusing that the masses don't get it. It still seems like madness. On my ISP bound flight yesterday people still lined up on both sides of the pole at least 1/2 hour in advance (when I got there). It was nice to stroll right up to the front rather than jockey for position then deal with nonsense behind me, especially hungover.

2 - A great unpublished benefit is the "no wait in the jet way" when you are amongst the very first to board. Hate that wait.

3 - I got a drink ticket for EACH leg of my trip (a $8 value - saved for another time). Plus the extra RR credit for a longer haul although the program is quickly becoming so devalued that the double "rule buster" award will become the norm, at least for my trips.

4 - No 24 HR advance check in necessary - I was at a Christmas party at the magical hour and my colleague had to scramble to do so. As a side note, I tried to do so the next morning, about 5 hours before departure and the OLCI system wouldn't let me for reasons of a "fare rule" - is this normal?

5 - Had my choice of the exit row or my favorite, 12F both times despite 13 thrus on my 2nd leg. Only negative is the risk and my occurance of a couple filling the middle seat unnecessarily when the flight was only 2/3 full (1st leg).

So I reverse my previous thought and think this can be a benefit for those who normally travel full fare anyway and are subject to full planes.

YMMV.