wanaflyforless

I don't usually frequent the SWA forum - but since I recently posted here have been checking in a few times a day.

I've noticed far fewer posts here than on the AA and UA forums I usually frequent.

As SWA actually has more flights (and thus passengers) than AA and UA (though less passenger miles), I am wondering why there are less posts on this board.

Does SWA have lesss promos and programs and flight idiosyncrasies to discuss?

Do Southwest flyers care lesss about the flying experience and thus are less inclined to spend hours discussing it on FT?

Do less Southwest flyers know about FT?

Just wondering.....

luckypierre

As a platinum AA flyer and a soon to be nothing Platinum Continental flyer who picks up 2-3 RR tickets a year, my spin on the matter is a tribute to the simplicity of their system. Continental's byzantine system and its inability to make sense out of the rules, in particular, generates tons of questions, comments, criticisms among its FF.
Rapid Reward,on the other hand, is simple and straightforward

Dan Burgess

I agree with luckypierre. With Rapid Rewards, we don't have to fight and struggle and claw to get upgrades and awards. It's very simple, as we all know quite well. There is no first class, all planes are 737s, and redeeming awards could hardly be easier.

On the other boards, you see people trying to figure out how to actually redeem miles. We don't have to worry about that here.

JerseyJohn

SW customers don't have as much to complain or scheme about as AA UA and the other majors.
John

choster

Southwest does carry a lot of passengers, but I'd wager the proportion of those who are truly frequent flyers is lower than AA or UA, so the FT memberbase is probably skewed rather differently from actual passenger demographics. Same way that a website about customizing cars probably has fewer minivan drivers represented than the population would suggest.

wwonka

As I said in the title their FF program is not as complicated and doesn't have the tiers to make matters worse.

peace
wwonka

cabinpressure

Many of the common topics on other boards just don't apply to WN:

* First Class - upgrades, prices, meals, service, seats, curtains

* Seat assignments - premium, exit row, advance, changes

* Aircraft types - which airlines and routes are changing to CRJ/ERJ

* Partner airlines - mileage credit, elite benefits, technical issues

* Mileage runs, specifically EQMs and cheap fares to Asia/Europe

* Award availability - tricks, search engines, elite hotlines, increased mileage cost awards, etc.

moondog

For me, it boils down to lack of interest in RR. I fly WN a fair amount, but am not sufficiently motivated to angle the system like I am in cases where awards I care about come into play.

kef0913

I have to concur with cabinpressure. Southwest's system is so simple that there is little to talk about. Plus, much of the talk on the AA board is about upgrades and seat assignments.

Clarence Iba

Agreed. We WN'ers enjoy great seat pitch, friendly FA's, easy connections, and a simple system to get from point A to point B. We just don't have a lot to discuss other than the latest humor heard from FA's, airport remodeling, the new livery, and the sound the gate ticket reader makes. We're pretty happy folk around here.

luckypierre

I beg to differ:
although not the true transpacific road warriors with 6 RTW trips a year to their credit, there is a subset of SWA flyers that are true frequent flyers-using their network to commute daily to work and back

kg105000

cattle can't type

nsx

I've been ruminating on whether to be cowed or whether to add to the pile of responses. Prior posters have done a good job of corralling the major points, avoiding any bum steers.

Rapid Rewards is so simple a cow can figure it out. This is not as exciting as those DL/Amex promos in which not even the originators know the rules. In those other programs you can outfox the airline, but you can never forget that you are the fox and they are setting traps for you. Naturally, the foxes benefit greatly from exchanging information about where the traps are and about how to sneak into the henhouse.

Here, we can relax and enjoy the program with no fear of treachery, so there's little need to exchange battle plans with the rest of the herd. Rapid Rewards is as udderly boring as watching the grass grow. We like it that way, because the grass is tasty. Rapid Rewards is outstanding in its field.

MIKEM

nsx,
Nice job with the analogies! BTW, I have a meeting with my lawyer and accountant today to go over all the UA promotions. I should have strategy laid out by next week that will cover the next four weeks of flights.

Additionally, I met with a local farmer who conferenced in one of his farm animals and they explained the WN RR plan.

A poster above made a wagering challenge about the number of FFs on WN compared with other full service airlines. I would not underestimate who does and does not fly WN these days. Many companies now have employed the services of sophisticated travel specialists like BTI World Travel. These travel specialists have software that track the flights you book, what was available when you booked, and generate a report about you and how much more you paid for your ticket. Companies are allowing a max of $100 per RT deviation from the lowest priced fare available at the time of ticketing. So, that means may many flyers have fewer choices. Also, if full service airlines in a given location have fares that vary, the flyer will have to jump between airlines. In this case it may make more sense to fly WN. Their fares are more consistently low, less variation, and the flyer knows he/she can stick with one airline. One airline means you build up rewards faster. This can be a better strategy than hopping between several full service carriers in an attempt to stay within the $100 difference.

wanaflyforless

nsx - I like your humor!

Yes, Rapid Rewards is the best program for some travellers. For others like me, it is inferior (less rewards for $$$ spent) - but that is the beauty of choices flying out of a major city with lots of competition.

It interesting to hear different perspectives why the Southwest forum is less active. I guess part of the answer has to be that Rapid Rewards runs less promos...so less to figure out how to take advantage of. Yes - Southwest is simpler - but also offers less free to those who have time to understand all the ins and outs of the program. Those who have time can get more from other programs.

Less to understand...less time trying to figure things out...this has be a major plus for many.