tl;dr – A-List is still useful in the ‘new era’ of Southwest Airlines.
While you are here check out this awesome upcoming retreat from our friends at Aetheria Movement.
Southwest has a promotional status match challenge where you can match your American Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue Airlines, or Delta Air Lines status to A-List or A-List Preferred.
While the old Southwest – and its beloved open-seating policy and free checked bags are gone – there’s still value in holding elite status with the LUV airline (assuming you fly Southwest semi-regularly). Here’s a look at the benefits of Southwest elite status:
I actually stumbled upon this challenge the other day, as I was, for the first time in a long time, planning a trip where I’d be taking at least one Southwest flight. I figured it would be worthwhile to see if I could match to A List, so on Monday, I Googled for ‘Southwest Status Match’ and voilà – it just so happened there was an active promo. It’s great when life works out like that.
The rules to this challenge are simple:
- You need to register. You can do so at this link. This will include providing proof of your existing elite status with one of the designated airlines.
- A short while later, you should receive an indication that your Southwest status has been updated. (I received the email and the corresponding move to A-List within 1 hour of registering for the challenge).
- You have 120 days to complete the necessary revenue flights to keep your ‘matched’ status.
As you can see, the requirements for extending A-List for 12 months are pretty achievable. You’ll need just six revenue flights (Note: your flights must be paid for in cash – no points or vouchers). There could even be sneaky value in holding A-List, should some other airline announce a generous status challenge.
Honestly, even if you don’t plan to complete the challenge, it’s probably still worth the match in the off chance you find yourself boarding a Boeing-737 that is painted ‘Bold Blue, Warm Red, and Sunrise Yellow (and accented with Summit Silver)’ sometime in the next few months. You’ll be able to choose a seat and check a bag for free.
