Flight attendants' buddy passes have, for generations, been a much talked-about and much-coveted perk of the job.
Some will remember the classmate whose flight attendant parent was always whisking them away to faraway trips on standby while others may have stayed in failing relationships too long just to keep that "selected traveler" status.
It is, after all, pretty hard to give up being able to regularly fly anywhere in the world while paying nothing but some airline fees and taxes.
While true buddy passes are reserved to those working in the airline industry and occasionally very frequent fliers who spend thousands of dollars a year with the company, some airlines are zoning in on the public's interest in the pass system with more widespread promotions.
Earlier this week, Southwest Airlines (LUV) announced that it is launching a "companion pass" that allows travelers to pick someone to fly for free during the first three months of 2023.
The Companion Pass Starts Now
"We know that flexibility and ease have become even more important for our customers, and this offer is a way to remind our members about the unique benefits of our award-winning Rapid Rewards program," Jonathan Clarkson, the vice president of marketing loyalty and products for Southwest Airlines, said in a press statement.
As could be expected, the pass comes with many pre-conditions and limitations — for one, travelers need to be part of Southwest's Rapid Rewards program to be eligible.
Those who register for the promotion and book either a round-trip or two one-way flights for anytime before Nov. 17 will then receive a companion pass that is valid between Jan. 4 and March 4 of next year.
When the original Rewards member purchases a flight to one of Southwest's destination cities, the "companion" then gets a free spot on the same flight.
One needs to register and book the original qualifying flight by Sept. 8, so those interested should sign up for the pass quickly. The first flight also needs to be paid with money rather than rewards points or any other promotion.
Airline Chaos Summer
There is a reason Southwest picked the first three months of 2023 to run the promotion. That is when, traditionally, airline travel slows down and airlines introduce both cheaper fares and more frequent promotions.
This year in particular, has seen many airlines banking on and in some cases even hoping for a travel slowdown as most have not rehired staff laid off during the pandemic fast enough to meet demand. With many travelers finally taking trips put off for two years during the pandemic, many airports had far more activity than they could handle.
To lessen check-in lines that in some cases lasted several hours, airports like London Heathrow and Schiphol in Amsterdam introduced caps that limit the number of passengers who can take off on a given day.
Both caps were supposed to end in a few weeks but airport administration extended them into the fall. While the European strategy has been to introduce caps, U.S.-based airlines have largely powered through and continued flying at the same rates despite frequent cancellations and delays.
In preparation for the winter, Southwest recently introduced seasonal routes to Nashville, Tenn., and the Californian cities of Palm Springs and San Jose between Nov. 6 and Jan. 4.
