I've also seen mention that redemption rates will also vary based on demand for the flight and not strictly based on price of the equivalent ticket. This is a huge devaluation of points.

It'll be interesting to see how Southwest will be able to implement all of these changes at once.

As someone who generally flies out of SEA because it is the only nearby airport with service on Southwest, flying Southwest already requires a lot of things flying other airlines doesn't, such as limited non-stop flights (including none to Southern California), no red-eye flights, many feasible connections leaving when public transportation is not operating, limited options in the case of IROPS, no service to many major US airports, etc., I'm really wondering what the value proposition is for me to fly Southwest. For example, I don't need to pay twice as much money to make a connection to fly from SEA to LAX if Southwest is not offering some sort of value proposition such as free checked bags, every ticket being refundable for a credit, or having a much better chance at a window or aisle seat for no additional charge.

I also haven't seen any news yet on if Companion Pass passengers will still get the free check bag benefit if they're flying with someone who gets that benefit. It's already annoying that a number of elite benefits, such as free same day changes, don't extend to people traveling on the same reservation or to Companion Pass passengers.

​​All these changes are really making me reconsider earning A-List Preferred status this year.
​