Qualifying for A-list.
 

I need one more one way flight to qualify for A-list next year. I had enough flights in the pipeline until the current weather fiasco that is going on. I got to 24 with my out bound flight but had to cancel the return or I wouldn't be getting back until the end of the week. I'd be happy to book a "run" but nothing is available until the 1st of the year.
Suggestions? Customer service call?
Thanks

NO WAY would I try to call anyone today. But, if you do not hear anything in a week or so, then maybe.

As to NO flights available - I am going to guess they will come back as their rebuild their network. I am sure there are many reasons for no flights available right now - but one is surely to stop putting more customers INTO a broken system.

Why would you even want to qualify anymore for their useless status. Are A-listers getting preferential treatment in this chaotic mess? Not at all. They got rid of the ability to speak with customer relations by phone even for A-listers. This airline is an absolute mess and according to a VP of the SW Pilots Association this morning on CNN, they are using severely outdated IT technology which needed upgraded for years but nobody in mgmt did a damn thing.

Southwest is the pits, I'm done with them.

If STL it looks like multiple flights not yet cancelled today: https://www.flystl.com/flights-and-a.../flight-status

Ah, disregard, based on post below

A few flights on 12/31 (eg BNA-PIT) appear to be for sale. Everything up until the 30th was zeroed out (i.e., not for sale even if the flight is operating).

Oh I'm definitely NOT calling them anytime soon... just looking for suggestions as to get that last segment in.
As to A-list value... when flying with my wife we don't need to PAY EB. Save quite a bit there. And since we have the CP, we save quite a bit of $$$ as we travel quite a bit to both coast to see family.
Looks like I'll email them and see if they will "comp" me that last segment.

I am among those that would still try to get A-list. this will all pass over in time.

But maybe not before Dec. 31.

You should have a case, you booked flights to make the status, but Southwest refused to fly you, that's your argument

That's pretty much what I was thinking!
I even flew a couple of "extra" flights in October so I would hit 25 after my last Christmas flight.
I will post how it goes down the road.

OP I'm in the same position as you, except at 23 flight segments.

I'm honestly concerned that even if I can make the first leg, I'll be stranded on the return flight.

Do this at your own risk, and prepare backup options in case you get stranded.

Good luck and please do keep us posted; I am generally curious.

In the past I would expect a "No way" but this situation is so unique and getting such bad press, and there really will be no way to make it up by the end of the year, that I would think if you had a receipt for a cancelled flight right now and it would have put you over the threshold, they would do the right thing and make an exception.

And that's what happened to me. I got to CHS for my 24th leg but if I had waited until SWA could fly me home to STL it would have been Saturday. So I booked flt with AA. Same day, one way ticket was only $230. Pretty reasonable all things considered.
I'm currently trying to cancel the SWA flt that I won't be needing and the WEB site keeps giving me an error message.

Let's hope so!

Does WN not do Original Routing Credit?

Not that I know of... but I sent an email requesting that "credit" and we'll see how they respond.

I am in the same boat - would have ended up with 25 but now will end up with either 23 or 24. If they don't extend it another year I definitely will reduce my travel with them since there's no incentive to keep it up.

I will post the results of my request.

Given rapidly growing negative press about WN, I would think that anyone within at least a few flights of tier status will be awarded it for next year as part of a "good will" gesture -- or offered a simple requal. option.

WN would surely not want to alienate their tier elites who are more prone to stick with it longer than the casual customer.

I contacted them 3 days cause I had 2 flights canceled that would keep my a-list preferred status. This is the response I got.

We are very aware of the impact our recent operations have had on Customers attempting to qualify for Tier Status in 2023. Our intent is to count Member revenue flight activity for travel between December 20 – December 31, 2022 that was canceled between December 20 – December 31, 2022 (whether flown as scheduled or not) toward Tier and Companion Pass qualification for 2023. We will provide further communication soon if your disrupted trip would have re(qualified) you for our Tier status or Companion Pass benefit. We appreciate your continued loyalty to Southwest Airlines

This morning I checked and saw my status was extended till 1/31/2023 probably to give them time to clear up everything.

I just got off the phone with SWA and they said any flight scheduled between Dec 20th and Jan 2nd WILL COUNT TOWARDS STATUS OR CP EVEN IF IT WAS NOT TAKEN!

My status has not changed yet but based on what I was told, I'm going to give it several more days.

So right you are on this. They are counting missed flights as if they had been taken.

Amazing, THAT kind of decision making. recovery, communication and re-programming can be done in a heartbeat but the basics of putting planes into the air cannot...

Agree it seems it is to avoid dealing with EOY expirations. Mine is now 1/31/23 but yesterday it was 12/31/23. I guess they did an across the board change.

Interesting... just checked mine and it too is showing 01/23 as expiration. I hope they really don't expect me to fly somewhere just to maintain status. I have no plans for any Jan flying.
And just got off the phone again and another agent verified that cancelled flight WILL count toward status and CP qualification. the extension of status to Jan 31 '23 is to insure that anyone traveling in Jan will still be able to use that status while they work things out.
An email will be coming in the next week or so stating as much.

I just received the below email:In an effort to ease your travel experience, we have extended your 2022 Companion Pass®, and/or A-List, or A-List Preferred status through January 31, 2023. This extension will allow you to complete your disrupted travel with your current tier status. (If you have requalified for tier status in 2023, your previously earned expiration date will supersede the January 31, 2023 extended expiration.)

Additionally, we are identifying Members whose disrupted travel would have qualified them for A-List, or A-List Preferred, and/or Companion Pass in 2023, and will provide further communication soon.

So to me it sounds like everyone has their status extended to 1/31/2023, and they are counting flights at the end of December toward 2023 status even if you didn't actually fly it. However, based on my reading, flights taken in January 2023 will not count towards status.

I had booked a flight several weeks ago for tomorrow to get the last 2 flights I need for 2023 A-List. I was hoping I could cancel and then take a flight in January 2023, but based off this email I'm not going to risk it and will do the flight tomorrow.

Do you know if you actually have to fly it? I have a mileage run tomorrow too but would prefer not to fly it and just be a no-show.

I don't know, but right now I'm planning to do the mileage run tomorrow just to be safe. I don't want to end up 2 flights sure and having to hope they give the credit.

... you're not actually surprised, though, right? I mean, going from "12/31" to "1/31" is a single-line code-change or so that could be implemented and QAed in a few hours at most.

If you would have qualified without their screw ups you will be made whole.

I just called in and the rep wasn't aware of that email sent out earlier today. After she reread her new internal notes (we were interpreting it together) we both came to the conclusion that flights taken until Jan 31, 2023 will count towards A-List/A-List Preferred/Companion Pass for 2023.

In other words, Southwest is extending the 2022 year one additional month because of what happened. In that case I'm not going to fly tomorrow and will fly mid-January to see if that re-qualifies for A-List. She said it was most likely due to mileage runs that got disrupted.

My CP still ends 12/31/22 and I cannot add a companion for January.

Edit: I decided to phone in today to book my January companion manually. Tomorrow there will be no evidence that I ever had a Companion Pass!

My A-List is still 12/31, but I wasn't close nor had anything booked.

Putting planes in the air is FAR more complicated.

I just noticed my a-list preferred status has been updated for expiration on 12/31/2023.

Had you qualified for it normally, or were you thrown a bone?

I would have qualified for it normally but had flights 49 and 50 canceled last week.

Really?

Somebody could write a little program off to the side to process all these folks. Can be a standalone program and have almost no impact on all their other systems. Getting planes in the air when you can not figure out where your crews are located is considerably different.

I am thinking something as simple as a query of the system to extract everyone that had a flight cancelled during that time. Then match them up to another extract of where they stood for A List and then create a new list. Then change their A List status. Done.