Rapid Rewards Enhancements!
#76
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: US Silver; WN A-List; Marriott Plat Premier
Posts: 448
Well I can see how the BS fare will help attract new flyers and not necessarily be a reward to existing devotees. Will the BS fare be guaranteed an A if they standby on an ealier flight? From High on Luv's justification for why they cannot give this to A-listers, I don't see how they can give it to a BS'er.
#77
Company Representative - Southwest Airlines
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: Rapid Rewards--Official Southwest Airlines Spokesperson
Posts: 116
This goes back to FCfree's question upthread about bonus credits with Business Select. Those are flight credits, so do they shorten the number of actual flights required to earn A-List? I thought no, but from your reference to flight credits, it seems so.
#78
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,589
From: http://www.southwest.com/rapid_rewar...embership.html
A-List qualification is based on actual revenue flights flown, not Rapid Rewards credits earned.
#79
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: WN CP
Posts: 6,360
Oh, sorry that clarification actually muddied the waters...the extra Business Select credits are actually "bonus credits," so do not shorten the requirements for A-List qualification. You must fly 16 roundtrips (or 32 one-way flights) within a rolling 12 months to get on the A-List.
#80
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Programs: UA Platinum MM; AA Gold; DL Silver; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Hilton Gold; Marriott Gold
Posts: 24,247
If you’re on the A-List and book or change your reservation less than 36 hours before your flight, we cannot guarantee that we can reserve you the best available boarding pass – because of time zone changes and connecting passengers who print their boarding passes early.
While we can’t get into the nitty-gritty, A-List order is sorted by, number of revenue flights taken within the past 12 months among other things.
Why can't you disclose the hierarchy? I thought that WN prided itself on transparency with its customers. CO, to give one example, expressly publishes its Upgrade Priority.
#81
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 140
Need More Details Please!
Customers traveling on Business Select fares will get the first boarding passes, and Members of A-List will receive the best available boarding passes after that. While we cant get into the nitty-gritty, A-List order is sorted by, number of revenue flights taken within the past 12 months among other things.
Hope this helps clear some things up!
Hope this helps clear some things up!
It's a real concern to me that I've been one of the first 5 or 10 folks on the airplane recently (because I check in exactly 24 hrs in advance), but under this new system, I could be looking at 40, 50, or even later. Factor in through passengers, and even with A-list we could be at the back of the plane.
#82
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: St Petersburg, FL, USA
Posts: 2,252
I lost my Companion Pass in the past year because Southwest could not compete with Continental on the Tampa-Houston route. CO got my 40 full-fare roundtrips.
For the same full-fare price:
Southwest offered a restricted award for every 8 roundtrips that I flew.
Continental offered a free first-class upgrade, expedited security screening, and a restricted award for every 6 roundtrips that I flew (using a status challenge).
Now Southwest has raised their price above their previous full fare pricing for ... a free drink and 0.25 credits?
Uh, no thanks.
[ironically, with the CO->Amtrak->Choice->WN transfers, I actually get more RR credits for flying CO than WN! ]
For the same full-fare price:
Southwest offered a restricted award for every 8 roundtrips that I flew.
Continental offered a free first-class upgrade, expedited security screening, and a restricted award for every 6 roundtrips that I flew (using a status challenge).
Now Southwest has raised their price above their previous full fare pricing for ... a free drink and 0.25 credits?
Uh, no thanks.
[ironically, with the CO->Amtrak->Choice->WN transfers, I actually get more RR credits for flying CO than WN! ]
#83
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: WN CP
Posts: 6,360
Right. My confusion stemmed from me not understanding that BS credits will post as 1 flight credit and X BS bonus credits. I thought they would could as flight credits as a result of a single credit post event.
#84
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: UA 1P; Marriott Gold; Avis First
Posts: 112
These new service announcements did, however, get enough of my attention that I posted on the WN forum...
#85
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,589
What happens if you're on a Business Select fare and you change your flight within 36 hours of its departure? Are you still guaranteed a priority A boarding pass? Under all circumstances? Only if there are fewer Business Select customers on the particular flight than spaces pre-allocated for them in the A group? Something else (i.e. you go to the back of the A line, but still get an A)?
Reserved boarding privileges will not be provided in instances where the Members reservation meets any of the following criteria: reservations booked less than 36 hours prior to scheduled departure; changes made to an existing reservation within 36 hours of a scheduled flight; standby travel on a different flight than what was originally confirmed; flights taken after a Members status expires from our A-List. Irregular operations may also affect a Members benefits on Rapid Rewards A-List boarding priority.
Translation: any changes within 36 hours and you are SOL.
#87
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: WN CP
Posts: 6,360
#88
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: WN CP
Posts: 6,360
From http://www.southwest.com/rapid_rewar...hip_rules.html item 7:
Reserved boarding privileges will not be provided in instances where the Members reservation meets any of the following criteria: reservations booked less than 36 hours prior to scheduled departure; changes made to an existing reservation within 36 hours of a scheduled flight; standby travel on a different flight than what was originally confirmed; flights taken after a Members status expires from our A-List. Irregular operations may also affect a Members benefits on Rapid Rewards A-List boarding priority.
Translation: any changes within 36 hours and you are SOL.
Reserved boarding privileges will not be provided in instances where the Members reservation meets any of the following criteria: reservations booked less than 36 hours prior to scheduled departure; changes made to an existing reservation within 36 hours of a scheduled flight; standby travel on a different flight than what was originally confirmed; flights taken after a Members status expires from our A-List. Irregular operations may also affect a Members benefits on Rapid Rewards A-List boarding priority.
Translation: any changes within 36 hours and you are SOL.
#89
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: US Silver; WN A-List; Marriott Plat Premier
Posts: 448
Is it too much to ask Southwest to just give their high-rev customers a real status just like other airlines do currently? I realize it flies in the face of their egalitarian mantra but they are already encroaching seriously on that now.
"Ladies and gentleman, prior to our A group boarding today, we would like to welcome aboard our A-lister premium travellers......Welcome aboard...."
"Ladies and gentleman, prior to our A group boarding today, we would like to welcome aboard our A-lister premium travellers......Welcome aboard...."
#90