Southwest Airlines really wants passengers to know its sorry about its holiday meltdown which left tens of thousands of people stranded. The airline has apologized in a variety of different emails and public statements and (eventually) tried to make things right with the impacted passengers.
The airline has also pledged to spend billions to improve its technology while it also stepped up its hiring efforts. You can doubt whether Southwest Airlines (LUV) executives are sincere, but if they're just saying what needs to be said, they're also putting their money into long-term fixes.
DON'T MISS: Spirit/JetBlue Merger Is Good News For Frontier Airlines (But Maybe Not You)
The problem -- and it's a really big one -- is that the December meltdown seemed to be a breach of trust between the airline and its customers. It was a sort of breaking point that had regular passengers questioning their loyalty while infrequent customers might have decided that saving a few dollars simply wasn't worth it.
That may factor in to why the airline has made a very generous offer to members of its Rapid Reward loyalty program.
Tim Boyle/Getty Images
Southwest Offers Free Air Travel
Southwest has a product -- Companion Pass -- that it generally only offers to its top-tier loyalty program members. These are passengers who have flown 100 one-way flights or earned 135,000 points in a year with the airline.
Companion Passholders are allowed to take a designated person with them on any flight for free (you do have to pay taxes and fees for the second person. Now, the airline has a really generous offer where members of its Rapid Rewards program of all standing levels can get a six-week test of the Companion Pass if they do a few things.
You need to register, by April 5 in order to qualify. To do that, you can visit the airline's webpage or click on the promotion here. Once you do that, it's fairly easy to earn a Companion Pass (albeit only for six weeks). The airline explained how on its website.
Wanna bring a friend for free* every time you fly? Here’s how:
1. Register now, then purchase one round trip or two one-way flights by 4/5.
2. Travel by 5/24.3. Companion flies free* with you 8/15-9/30/2023.
The promotion's timing suggests that the airline has some seats it needs filled in April and May. It also implies that Southwest might be concerned about its summer bookings as the August through mid-September time period includes a heavy travel period where K-12 schools are generally not in session in much of the U.S. (some states do start in mid-August).
How the Southwest Companion Offer Works
You have to register, buy a qualifying flight and actually take that flight in order to qualify for the Companion Pass. Southwest fully explained it in an FAQ on its website.
"Once you qualify for a promotional Companion Pass (meaning you registered, booked, and traveled on a qualifying round trip or two one-way flight(s) during the applicable dates specified in promotion terms and conditions) we’ll send an email within 10 days. This email lets you know you qualified (woo-hoo!) and includes information on next steps and how to designate and utilize the promotional Companion Pass," the airline shared.
For the Companion Pass, you must designate a single person as your companion but there is no limit to how many times you can fly during the promotional period.
