Southwest Airlines brings back its free flight offer

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Southwest Airlines has always been a disruptor in its industry — making moves designed to call out its rivals. In many ways, it operates like a less flashy version of T-Mobile, a company that systematically forced AT&T and Verizon to get rid of their shadiest practices.

The difference, of course, is that nearly every American can pick between AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile and still get decent service. When it comes to airlines, however, the choice isn’t the same. On some routes you may have multiple choices, but in many cases, people have to fly the airline that goes to their destination when they want to get there.

Because of that, Southwest Airlines (LUV) offering free bags with all tickets has not forced its rivals to do the same. Moves like that, however, have helped the airline build a loyal fanbase that opts to fly with it when possible.

Southwest also has a very clear loyalty program where passengers get meaningful benefits when they achieve A-list status, including an earlier boarding position. Those benefits grow when a loyal customer hits A-list Preferred where they receive free internet, and priority check-in.

At the top of the company’s loyalty program sits its Companion Pass, a benefit that allows the qualified passenger to designate someone who can fly with them for free (they do have to pay taxes and certain fees). Normally it takes 100 qualifying one-way flights or 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year to earn that status.

The airline, however, does have one way where passengers can earn a Companion Pass without hitting those flight numbers and it has just brought that offer back.

Southwest Airlines does not give passengers seat assignments.

Image source&colon; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Here’s a quick way to earn a Southwest Companion Pass

Earning a Companion Pass in the traditional way basically requires one round-trip flight nearly every week for a year. That’s certainly going to drive loyalty for anyone who thinks they have a chance of hitting that threshold (or earning the needed points) but it’s a very high bar even for people who fly a lot.

Occasionally, however, the airline offers promotions where people can earn a Companion Pass in different ways. Sometimes that means flying a certain amount in a short period of times while at other times it has offered that perk as a promotion with its credit card.

That promotion has been brought back for a short period of time.

Southwest, which works with Chase for its credit cards, is offering a Companion Pass that’s good through Feb. 2025 for anyone who applies for one of its credit cards, gets approved, and spends $4,000 on purchases in the first three months after the account gets opened.

The offer runs through March 11. Only new cardholders are eligible, and not everyone will be approved for the credit card.

Southwest seems to have won its customers back

Southwest has traditionally had a reputation as a passenger-friendly airline. That’s driven partially by its general lack of added fees and partly by its loyalty program. The company put that loyalty to the test, however, with its 2022 holiday season meltdown.

During that Christmas week, the company canceled thousands of flights and stranded tens of thousands of passengers when bad weather and flight changes overwhelmed its system. It was a dark period that exposed the airline’s technology flaws which led to it investing hundreds of millions of dollars in technology, de-icing equipment, and personnel.

The company has put those days behind it and won back the loyalty of its passengers, according to comments made by Southwest’s Chief Commercial Officer Ryan Green during its fourth-quarter earnings call.

“I’m pleased to report that we saw no bookings impact from last year’s operational disruption during this past holiday season, which speaks to the operational improvements we have made over the last year, as well as the enduring loyalty from our customers,” he said.

The good news for the airline did not end there.

“In addition, fourth quarter was another quarter with multiple records set, including record fourth quarter operating revenue and passenger revenue, as well as an all-time quarterly record for passengers carried. Fares also performed well in the fourth quarter with our average passenger fare up about 2.5% year over year. And all in all, our fourth quarter operating revenues were up over $1 billion relative to fourth quarter of 2019,” he added.

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