Southwest Companion Pass on the Chopping Block?

tl;dr; The days of the lauded ‘best deal in travel’ may be numbered.

I’ve written extensively about the downfall of Southwest Airlines and how, in the words of many modern-day social media enthusiasts, ‘this **** needs to be studied.’ After receiving the private equity treatment, nothing about the airline’s brand, essence, or operations is off-limits. We may now be on the verge of witnessing the end of the Companion Pass. A Danny the Deal Guru report about recent surveys sent to Rapid Rewards Members hints at major changes to Southwest’s loyalty program and the Companion Pass, which are only further proof of this. 

If you’re unfamiliar with the Companion Pass, here’s a crash course. It’s a buy-one-get-one-free benefit that allows passengers to designate and fly with a plus one – ‘their Companion,’ on any Southwest flight to any destination, only needing to pay the taxes and fees associated with the Companion ticket. Importantly, it’s also valid on award fares, meaning that if you, as the Companion Pass holder, redeem Rapid Rewards points for your ticket, you and your Companion can both fly to your destination for just the out-of-pocket costs of taxes and fees, which on domestic itineraries is $5.60. The Companion Pass is earned by accumulating 135,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points within a calendar year. The best feature of the Companion Pass is that it offers unlimited travel. You can fly with your Companion on every flight you book without any limitations so long as your Companion pass is valid. For Southwest power users, particularly families, earning a Companion Pass unlocks a significant amount of ‘free travel.’ Southwest also runs semi-regular promotions where travelers can fly a one-way trip (or two one-way flights) to earn a short-term Companion pass (usually valid for two months or so). 

As referenced in this Reddit thread, Southwest recently sent out surveys to Rapid Reward members that hint at big changes to its loyalty program:

Summarizing the above, the Rapid Reward loyalty program revamp will include four tiers, with only the highest tier being eligible for the Southwest Companion Pass (lock-in), and the Companion itself may be severely limited in its scope. 

Traditionally, an immensely popular way to qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass was to use the signup bonuses that come with the Airlines co-branded Visa credit cards. As those welcome offer points do count towards your Companion Pass tier qualification, opening a new credit card and completing the required spend to receive the splashy offer was a great way to fast-track qualification. Given that the current Southwest Dark Empire is still in the cauldron-cooking phase, it’s unclear whether this credit card points method will remain relevant once formal plans are announced. 

My Thoughts

I’ve long given up on Southwest Airlines – my formal offboarding was the ‘Great Holiday Meltdown of 2022.’ That said, in the past, I’d been quite the advocate for the airline. I was a Companion Pass holder for three consecutive years. During that time, I used Southwest to see a significant portion of the U.S. and visit many of the airline’s tropical destinations. Mrs. Blackbeard and I were among some of the first passengers aboard Southwest Airlines when it opened up service to Hawaii. For many years, I reaped outsized value from the Companion Pass and encountered many other travelers who similarly enjoyed the accessibility it afforded. If these surveys truly do shed light on an increasing exclusivity of the Companion Pass, that’s a true shame. It is one of the last vestiges of the ‘LUV’ vibe that made Southwest the  ‘People’s Airline.’ Ugh, I’ll start writing the obituary.