Uneasy Rhetoric

I’ve heard all of the complaints about Southwest Airlines, mostly stemming from the cattle-call way they board planes. Frankly, I’ve had my share of bad experiences on Southwest, but since about 90% of my flights are on that airline, one would expect a few.

But they’ve just made my life a little better. They are doubling the amount of time rewards credits stay in my account from 12 to 24 months effective immediately (how cool is that?).

For those who don’t know, Southwest’s frequent flyer program isn’t based on miles but on one-way trips. It works a little like a coffeehouse punch card. Take a trip, get a punch. Take a round-trip, get two punches. Generally, partners give half a credit for staying at a hotel, renting a car, etc. Earn 16 credits, get a free trip anywhere they fly.

When I first joined the program, I was flying between Portland and Sacramento frequently. I earned seven free flights in less than three years. By flying one of the cheapest routes in the system, I was able to go to San Diego, Little Rock, and other places, free. Now that I live in Sacramento, I almost never fly. But, I still use the credit card and I do make a couple trips a year. I went from burning through my flight credits to having them expire because they were only good for 12 months. Now, I may be able to earn a free flight again. Hooray!

Aside: take a good look at the way passengers debark a Southwest flight versus a flight on a booked-seat airline. In general, most passengers will debark row-by-row on either. However, I have noticed that a significantly higher number of passengers on other airlines will try to jump into the aisle and push their way forward, or people already in the aisles will ignore those in the rows ahead of them trying to get out. I wonder why that is?