Lifehacker thinks SW FF is Winning..... am I missing something here?
 

Lifehacker rounded up the best ff programs and didn't link nor give credit to Flyertalk. FAIL.

After rounds and rounds of voting, Southwest received the most votes and was selected as the best FF program despite a completely redone program.

Thoughts?

I've been a lurker for a couple of years now. It is actually the LH article that prompted me to look more into FF programs and rewards. From the outside, SW seems like a quick and easy way to get free flights. I've been flying them for the past year.

Remember the theory that people vote with their "identities" rather than "self-interest"?

How long has Southwest been living on the reputation of being the scrappy little renegade, even though it is consistently among the top US airlines in number of passengers, revenue, and ability to cause other airlines to downsize capacity in a market?

How long has it lived on being "cheaper", even though it's often significantly more expensive - especially when you take bag fees out of the equation for elites on other airlines?

And yet.

"There's just something about Southwest."

Eh.

(Or it could be that most people don't really understand the new system, since it's more complex and not everyone sits around performing cost benefit analyses of frequent flyer programs like people at FT do.)

DL is ranked second :rolleyes:

Personally I am not impressed by Southwest. I used to fly them all the time, back when they had their "old" frequent flyer program. It was an easy-to-understand system and perfect use for a short, free hop. Then they just had to go ahead and change it.

This led me to venture out into the unknown, and try other airlines. I found this to be a positive experience. I enjoyed not being squished in like a sardine, for a change.

I will not use Southwest anymore, unless it is the only option left. I don't understand their new method of award travel, nor do I care to take the time to figure it out. Since I use other airlines now, my travel on Southwest will be so limited (if any) that I would not get any reward flights anyway.

Southwest, I'm sorry...but I just don't LUV you anymore. It's not you, it's me.

Pretty much sums it up.

Move along, nothing to see here...

Out on the west coast I still find them competitive for the occasional short hop. Anything further than a state or two away and I have no interest in them though :)

+1

LH & Polls
 

I gotta just add my quick 2cents, and to admit my bias upfront I read BOTH LH and FT daily (lurking for YEARS on both).

In the article I just read on LH (and unless they changed it because of our unsavory epithets cast from FT) it does not say that WN is No.1 or that DL is No.2. That is not the authors conclusion. That is the result of a LH poll. It is data, biased, self-selected data, but data none-the-less. Not the conclusion of a journalist (or website slant), as was suggested in this thread.

Regardless- their synopsis of each of their reader selected winners was surface level knowledge at best- not the type of research I would have expected out of LH. No angles at all and messy writing that borders on false (like the AA Partner miles working towards elite status).

Maybe off-topic for here, but I'm surprised other airlines aren't running campaigns attacking RR2.0. Southwest has a huge TV campaign running now, touting the supposed simplicity of RR2.0. Sure, simplicity at the expense of a massive loss in value.

I'm surprised AA or UA in particular hasn't gone aggressive, touting the fact that their programs didn't get gutted on March 1st, touting their alliances and options, etc. I know Southwest now says you can "redeem for international travel", but I'm honestly not sure where. (Westjet? I do hope they mean something more than "Fly to Buffalo and rent a car.")

To me, the ultimate power of any FFP lies in the network. Who has the strongest worldwide alliance? Southwest's original niche - ultimate simplicity for people who wanted short hops entirely inside one country - was its own powerful statement, but now that's been watered down with the mess that is RR2.0.

Many people who travel for work have a strong aversion to travelling in their leisure time. We should appreciate those people because their low value redemptions keep the program costs within budget.

I have a colleague who was so thrilled at using his 70K CO to redeem $700 worth of Lowe's GC. If it means one less person using reward seats, by all means we should encourage them.

A penny per mile on a straight cash-out is actually better than I would have expected.

The merchandise offers are usually bad because on top of the expected-lower rate of return on the miles, the listed "retail value" of the merchandise offered is usually well out of line from reality. Look at the value listed next to any TV, set of golf clubs, etc. in those catalogs: it's usually the price the earliest adopter paid for that model. I always look at the golf clubs in particular: by the time a set of Taylor Mades or Callaways hits one of these miles/points catalogs, usually with a list price of $899 or whatever, I can get that exact set of sticks for $500 elsewhere. Same concept seems to hold true for electronics and other goods as well.

If I was awash in millions of miles, I'd consider selling some for 1cpm as the Lowe's guy did. At least I can immediately monetize that gift card for products that are optimally acquired from Lowe's. (e.g., Stuff that I need and already buy from Lowe's and that I'm not paying a big markup over an Amazon or eBay cost for.)