Everyone is mad mad at Southwest Airlines for abandoning its business model, customer focus, and core principles. They’re laying off employees, outsourcing, eliminating free checked bags, moving to (paid) assigned seats and devaluing Rapid Rewards.
So now is the perfect time for another airline to go after their customers aggressively, court them, and win them over. American Airlines is doing that – but just isn’t really telling anyone about it?
Southwest Rapid Rewards elite members are being given more lucrative status match offers than in the past for a limited time. American just isn’t promoting it, Rapid Rewards members just have to know to look for this. Why not tell people? Perhaps they’re relying on me to do it for them.
They’ve quietly launched an elite status match offer that already included top tier for United and Delta elites – but now temporarily offers higher status than before for Southwest elites.
- United and Delta Platinums get American’s Platinum Pro
- United and Delta 1Ks and Diamonds get American’s Executive Platinum
- Southwest A-List gets Platinum and A-List Preferred gets Platinum Pro (oneworld emerald), which is a tier higher than they had been matching to.
American Airlines has status challenges, called Instant Status Pass, that are way too confusing.
- Earn points in the first few four months that determines your status in the next four months
- And your earning during those four months determines what status you have for the next four and what status you’re “going for”
- Finally, during the last four months to earn points to keep the status for the year ahead
However these offers haven’t always been available and haven’t always been free. This is an explicit offer for anyone with United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest status.
For top elites, American Airlines shouldn’t use this tool at all. American should want Delta Diamonds, United 1Ks, and right now especially Southwest A-List Preferreds. Match disaffected top tier members to Executive Platinum through February 2026. Send them a couple of lounge passes.
- Message to Delta Diamonds: “we know your lounge access at Delta is limited, we welcome you to our Admirals Clubs.”
- Message to Southwest A-List Preferreds, “we know the airline you’ve flown with doesn’t have lounges, we welcome you to our Admirals Clubs.”
And take the message a step farther, “we value your business, every time you step into the airport. You have full benefits every time you fly, no matter what the fare. We’ll upgrade you on basic economy fares, and welcome you into our lounges.”
(HT: Jonathan B)
Southwest in Love field is great for us in highland park but I’d rather be flying JSX. Oh, and claims that JSX doesn’t have enough security is bullshit. I cleared TSA with a 4” switchblade yesterday. Only realized it was in my backpack when I landed.
Yes, Southwest is abandoning its old business model. However, that is not the same as abandoning its customer focus or core principles. In fact, now that the playing field is more level, it might (need to) hone in on customer service to differentiate itself; treat passengers better, quicker phone access, nicer seats, better on-time arrival, less lost luggage are just some of the ways it can do so. And as to core principles, those are not free luggage, rather those are what “guide the airline and the decisions and actions it makes.” It’s going to be interesting to see how SW navigates moving forward. I wish them well.
As they (Southwest flyers) should (feel betrayed). Elliott is absolutely ‘abandoning’ everything good about the airline–they’re practically taking a ‘chainsaw’ to it (kind of like how others are doing that to our system of government and the economy, currently), just so they can profit off others’ suffering.
Who pays the price? The passengers. The workers. All of us, as this will probably lead to a merger or bankruptcy, and thus, less competition in the industry. It’s truly sad and horrifying to witness, because if they can do this to them, others will do this to more.
What’s next? What beloved companies or entities or individuals will be disempowered and eradicated next? And when they’re done, what’s left (or should I say, Leff)? For most of us, not much (we need you and your voice, Gary! Keep going, brother! Preach!)
“just so they can profit off others’ suffering.” That seems extreme. Southwest’s profit margin for 2024 was 1.69%. The current model does not work when Alaska, DL, and ,UA are significantly more profitable. Southwest will adjust its product to meet what the market wants and is willing to pay for. Too much of the flying public wants to pay McDonalds prices but expect steakhouse quality.
I predict that Bob Jordan will ” RETIRE ” before the year is out. I hope Elliott Roto Rooters the remaining Southwest Airlines Leadership such as Andrew W, Chris Johnson, and the whole gang. Take out the trash.
@Brian W — Ok, if I was hyperbolic to you, how do you think the 1,700 folks at the headquarters who were recently laid off, feel? Like, to them and their families, it must be ‘just business,’ right?
HMMM so for us Loyal AA status folks, doesn’t trying to attract other airlines status flyers dilute our chances of getting upgrades- which are already almost non existent, finding a seat in the Admirals club WE PAY in cash to use, etc. ? I have seen the long lines to enter at the Delta lounges and others and have always been grateful that I could always get into the Admiral’s Club and find a seat, even if the food isn’t always stellar.
@Starsky — On the food not always being ‘stellar,’ I find it ironical that at some Admirals Clubs how they don’t really serve ‘meals’ so much as ‘snacks’–Like, at MIA (and elsewhere), the standard Admirals Clubs (as opposed to the Flagship) occasionally have free chips and guac, which is nice, but if you want something more substantial, like a chicken quesadilla, you have to order it at the bar, they make it in the kitchen (hidden from view), and you do pay additional for that. Like, I cannot think of any Delta SkyClubs that require you to pay extra for menu items (other than premium alcohol).
Wadabout Alaska (Hawaiian)?
My assumption would be loyal Southwest flyers either wouldn’t qualify for upper elite status at AA (PP and EXP) or wouldn’t care about the benefits of those elite levels, particularly as upgrades are becoming harder to score. Some fly Southwest because of direct flights and frequencies on sub three hour flights. It’s not like AA would have a benefit.
@ Starsky — If your chances are already zero, adding more elite members will not affect your upgrade chances. Admission to the lounge has nothing to do with status, so how long you wait to enter the lounge has nothing to do with the number of elite members. Bottom line is if you want to sit in first class or use the lounge, you must PAY.
SWA is definitely abandoning everything they stood for before. I have seen and have initiated changes where old culture is abandoned. This is exactly what it looks like. I’m not blaming anyone or judging anyone, including Elliott. But let’s not lie to ourselves and say that these are steps you do to maintain the status quo.
@Gene — That is indeed the unspoken truth these days. I mean, some, like yourself, are actually saying it, which must be upsetting to those who still believe the lie, or occasionally benefit, get lucky, etc. Truthfully, only the Concierge Keys, Delta 360s, and United Global Services, if anyone, is getting an actual upgrade, and even then, sometimes they aren’t, just as you suggest. I’ve literally witnessed many times those folks pre-board ahead of me as I turn ‘left’ and they go ‘right’ to the back. It’s wild. Cash is king, maybe it always has been, and everything else with these programs is marketing, which is often a lie or half-truth anyway, with little recourse or remedy after you get ‘screwed’.
@Joseph — You’re not ‘blaming’ Elliott? I blame them. 100%. I mean, I guess, if you don’t like holding perpetrators accountable, then sure, absolve them of any guilt, ‘greed is good,’ and accept the worse fate. No, they aren’t committing a literal crime, but laws are human constructs, and what they are doing is immoral, unethical, and disgusting in its needless harm and cruelty. No, it isn’t literally violent either, but firing 1,700 workers, making the experiences objectively worse for passengers, etc. isn’t ‘good’ for anyone but the executives who will receive ‘golden parachutes’ soon, and likely the investors at Elliott who expect a windfall after figuratively ‘killing off’ the airline. So, this isn’t a ‘Jesus take the wheel’ kind of situation, sir. There are real folks to blame. And, you, Joseph, your literal namesake, if you follow that work of historic fiction, should know better. A ‘virgin’ birth, bah! Good one!
I answered a survey 2 years ago from SW after a horrible turn of events trying to fly from Manchester,NH to Atlanta which as to go thru Baltimore. Thunder storms canceled our connection and the next one left 6 hours later and dumped us in Greenville, SC with a final connection to ATL 20 hours later. I told them the 2 free bags wasn’t worth the extra 4 hours and more to fly from either NH or Boston to Atlanta especially since Delta flys nearly hourly nonstop from Boston to ATL.
Like Mc Donald’s getting rid of French fries and Big Mac’s Southwest Airlines is throwing out the only things that make it unique. Stupid move! Those at the top want to squeeze every penny out of the airline in areas where it differentiated itself. Wouldn’t surprise me if Southwest eventually gets sold, merged or parted out piece by piece. I’ve seen this happen with TWA, Continental airlines. There will be no Southwest Airlines the way things are going. American Airlines poaching customers from Southwest, other airlines is probably going to work in the Dallas market, possibly Chicago. Both cities are AA hubs/Southwest.
Everyone is NOT mad at Southwest. One of the main reasons I rarely fly SW is the lack of extra legroom seats and the lack of assigned seats. I also rarely check a bag so, that doesn’t come into play. I do understand why a lot of people are upset but it’s certainly not everyone.
this would be a good time for a reminder that AA had a lower net income margin than WN in 2024 and WN will likely improve more in 2024 than AA.
WN’s business model didn’t work. We can all debate whether they are doing the right things to turn their company around but it will be impossible for us to prove because they are making so many changes at the same time -and we don’t really have the data to prove anything.
half or more of US airline capacity is either not at sustainably profitable levels or not profitable at all.
WN is making moves to improve its future while AA is still living on the notion that hope will help it do better than it did for the last 15 years.
Don’t understand why people praise Southwest over the past couple decades. Sure they had (or maybe still have) the boarding groups, but what’s made their procedure suck is how (unlike before 2001 or so) you are not rewarded with early boarding by getting to the airport early; instead those with internet access and quick fingers are rewarded, when Signing In to the flight is opened 24 hours before departure. Sometimes, 24 hours prior, I’m nowhere near an internet device.
@ Tim Dunn — This would be a good time for a reminder of how annoying your posts tend to be.
@ 1990 — When flying Delta, I call these people “CDDs” = coach-dwelling Diamonds. They tend to trample you on the way to their overhead bin in coach. They really need to baord these folks first — from the rear of the plane. At least United allows 1Ks to board as one of the five pre-boarding groups. I think United has like 12 boardimg groups total, which is riduclous. Maybe they should just call us individually by name? “Now boarding 1990…”
Gene,
truth is very inconvenient.
AA is the LAST carrier that should be crowing about what it can gain from WN.
I’m more likely to take up Frontier on their offers than AA. If I wanted to fly AA over Southwest, I would’ve done that already
The check is in the mail. I’m from the government, I’m here to help you. We’ll never charge for bags. Enough said.