Tag Archives for southwest airlines.
With greater Elliott sway, and Kelly leaving, rumors are swirling in Dallas that other changes pushed by Elliott will be implemented. We may or may not learn details at the airline’s investor day this month. Two major changes that are being widely discussed at headquarters are an anticipated end to free checked bags, and the introduction of basic economy.
Here’s what basic economy would look like if Southwest moves forward, I am told.
This is a pretty good offer for Southwest and for customers. They’ll give you a free companion to travel with you for about two months if you book just two one way flights right away (and use them for travel in the next couple of months). Registration required.
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards has a new promotion offering four ways to accelerate progress towards elite status.
A Southwest Airlines tug went through a wall and into an employee break room at the Fort Lauderdale airport. Someone on social media writes, “did someone say there’s fresh doughnuts in the ready room!!?”
Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famer and founding member of Public Enemy Flavor Flav handed out snacks on a Southwest Airlines flight. He says he ran into some flight attendants in Paris during the Olympics and they invited him to do it – along with making the landing announcement – on his next flight. Well, they were crew on a trip he was taking and why not?
Yeah, boyeeeeee!
Southwest Airlines is beginning redeye flights. They’re working on premium seating and assigned seats. They’ve been slow in most of their new efforts, and are being dragged into change faster by an activist investor. But some of what’s under consideration could do real damage to the Southwest brand and the multiples that their stock has been able to achieve – and alienate customers who are fanatically loyal.
Yesterday I covered changes being considered for United Clubs and for United’s premium credit card. Chase, which issues United cards, is also surveying changes to Southwest’s credit card portfolio at least in part as a result of the planned move to assigned seating.
Once Southwest starts flying Hawaii redeyes (which lets them reach destinations further east) they won’t need as many intra-island flights to maintain six flights per gate. We could see fewer intra-island flights as a result, if redeyes are additive to current Hawaii-mainland operations.
A Southwest Airlines employee at St. Louis airport has been charged with printing and stealing flight vouchers. For two months last year the customer service agent apparently generated vouchers in customer names – and redeemed them for himself.
He confessed after police found a stack of 119 travel vouchers worth $36,300 in his airport locker.
Passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Chicago Midway found themselves sitting behind a woman with her hair draped over their seat back. They didn’t want a confrontation, but they didn’t want the woman’s hair in their face, so they sought help from a flight attendant.
According to the passengers, the flight attendant replied, “What exactly would you like me to do?”
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
