Originally Posted by
Beckles
Why wasn't WN an option? Is it because they only serve 28 cities non-stop from BNA? Even if you don't want to fly WN as your primary carrier, you may want to familiarize yourself with the Rapid Rewards program, in particular the car and hotel partners, it is often much more lucrative to credit rental cars and HHonors double dips to WN than to other airlines.
As a fellow road warrior I have flown WN many times, not by choice; rather for price due to last minute travel. My conclusion is that although they are a nice airline with good operations, I could never see myself committing to WN, based solely on these two things (all related to the FFP - which was a main concern for the OP):
-No true elite service -- I achieve top tier status fairly easily each year. The perks are amazing. Not only boarding before the masses but the >90% upgrade to F is truly a treat. Obviously with WN you're not going to get this as its one class throughout. And the fact that Joe-off-the-street can pay a few more dollars and board ahead of me is frustrating (from a road warrior perspective)
-No alliance and no international reward program -- Saving miles for those once in a lifetime vacations to me make life on the road worth it. WN offers no once in a lifetime destinations IMHO.
But like I mentioned, WN is a fine airline and has great operations. But from my perspective, flying WN leaves so much on the table.