Southwest Frequent Flyers: Same-Day Priority Standby
Southwest's new cabin interior, known as Heart. Photo Credit: Southwest Airlines
New perk for Southwest elite frequent flyers: free standby!
If you're an elite member of Southwest's Rapid Rewards loyalty program, you'll now enjoy free standby for flights within two hours of your original flight.
Just to clarify, an elite flyer would be A-List or A-List Preferred (those who have collected a minimum of 35,000 points or flown 25 segments in a single year).
In the past, all Southwest flyers, including frequent flyers, had to pay for the difference in fare price for choosing to fly standby. But in effort to remain competitive with other major airlines (some who have been implementing this perk for years), the friendly Dallas based carrier is finally onboard.
This is great news for the business traveler who loves Southwest's differentiators but needs the same schedule flexibility provided by other major carriers like America, Delta and United.
Southwest hasn't made any major moves toward dedicated business class seating or airport lounges, but this perk will no doubt attract some road warriors.