Reissuing via $50 fee and extending via AirTran laundering are both available online.

For expired awards the recommended approach is to pay the fee and extend at the optimal time (admittedly difficult to establish), then do the two-step every four to six weeks to obtain fresh one-year validity periods. (To be almost absolutely safe you should not exceed 29 days, as 30-day notice is required for a change of terms to the program. I say "almost" because SWA might come up with some argument that this transfer is not actually part of the RR program and thus can be taken away with zero notice.) If you are a person who keeps up with news on this forum (which obviously isn't everyone), you can be comfortable going well beyond the 29 day window.

Also refer to the original discussion: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...s-merging.html