Great job,
nsx, on the fantastic summary! It is an impressive piece of work -- very good analysis as well.
As someone who benefited by used WN for nearly all of my short haul travel (albeit mostly in Business Select), RR 2.0 is definitely a game changer for my travel strategy. Most of my redemption have been either long-haul domestic or last-minute purchases, so the new program is a bite there as well. It is a smart business move by Southwest IMHO. From their standpoint they were able to address the weaknesses that myself and countless others used to derive a high rate-of-return. Admittedly it is inherently more "fair", but I can still grumble a little about the end of a good thing.....
I do very much like the new tiered A-List program. I could never justify making A+ before as the benefits never justified the effort and cost associated with achieving it. With a lower threshold, it may change my mind. And perhaps with more detail about the T&Cs of the Preferred Visa and TQP earning, it may make sense to shoot for A-List Preferred next year. Awards not being subject to capacity controls and blackout dates is also a great benefit.
I'm not emotionally attached to airline loyalty programs. They are a part of the business proposition that airlines use to attract and retain your business. Its time to re-evaluate my travel patterns for 2011 and crunch the numbers to see if RR 2.0 has a place in my strategy for this year. I hope it does -- I very much enjoy the WN experience and service from STL (also part of the decision). Perhaps it will even entice me to give more business to Southwest!
We shall see...
Is there any information available yet on the Preferred version of the Southwest Visa? A quick Google search turned up nothing.