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Southwest Airlines Community

All-New Rapid Rewards Update

cmainz
Employee
Employee

I wanted to provide you all with an update on how things are going since we launched the All-New Rapid Rewards program last week.  To say it’s been a crazy past week and a half is an understatement, and I know you all have experienced and expressed your frustrations with the launch of the new program and the challenges we have faced with the rollout. 

 

If we were a sports team, you could say that we’ve been in a slump the last week and a half.  It happens to even the best teams, and when it comes to Customer Service and meeting and exceeding our Customers’ expectations, I feel that Southwest is the best in the game.  Like a slumping sports team, we have heard all about it from our fans, which is to be expected and certainly fair.  The truth is we haven’t lived up to our standards or expectations for delivering Customer Service this past week and a half.  For that, we sincerely apologize.  I can tell you that we have been working around the clock to recover and get back to our winning ways.  We are seeing improvements, and each day is better than the one before.   

 

One of the biggest challenges we have experienced, that we know has a bigger impact on you, is our higher than normal call volumes, as well as unusually high e-mail inquiries.  Unfortunately, that has meant that your wait time to speak to someone has been longer than normal, and at times, you have been unable to get through.  Likewise, it has taken us longer to respond to your e-mails.  Fortunately, we have seen steady improvements since the launch, and we are hoping to be back to the level of Customer Service you expect from us soon.  Please trust me when I tell you that we do have all hands on deck working around the clock to answer your calls and e-mails.  Combined, our Customer Service Representatives have worked thousands of hours of overtime, and we have brought in temporary Employees to help. 

 

Additionally, as with anything new, there is a learning curve to becoming familiar with the changes on the web site, so our Members naturally have questions about where to find certain features and how to navigate the site, which can be frustrating.  We know there is opportunity for making the new account screens more intuitive so you can more easily find your information.  A few of these have already been implemented, and we continue to work on further enhancements.  Last week, we posted a blog and video with answers to some frequently asked questions about how to navigate the web site, so I encourage you to check that out if you haven’t already.

 

With regard to functionality on southwest.com, most all functionality is working as designed.  Yes, we are still experiencing a few bugs here and there, and we have only one main outstanding issue we are working diligently to address.  Members who are using Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) are unable to login to their account.  We are aware of this issue and are working to fix it as soon as we possibly can.  I’m including a link to upgrade to Internet Explorer 8 if you are interested in upgrading:  http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/worldwide-sites.aspx, and again, we are working to fix this on our end as quickly as we can so that those with IE6 can login to their accounts. 

 

            Again, we are seeing improvements across all fronts, and we are working as hard and fast as we can to get back on track.  We know you expect a lot from Southwest Airlines, and we’re sorry we haven’t been able to live up to your (or our) expectations.        

125 Comments
Tim_Montgomery
Explorer C
Have called you 6 times in the last week - about 9 hours of my life on hold... Fly the airline every week and still can't do stuff on-line. My wife's companion pass is useless as I have to wait on hold for hours now.... You say it is fixed - I just tried to get into my account using 4 different browsers - NONE Worked. On my last call, I asked for someone that could do something to call me back... I was told NO. My email response was "someone will get back to you within 10 business days"... Please get it together. My RR number is 36503950 - just in case anyone from SWA actually reads this and DOES something about it.
Kathleen_T__McG
Explorer C
I've been trying to book a flight for an hour and a half. I first tried online, had all the appropriate info completed, but the site wouldn't accept my sw visa rewards credit card, because it said it was out of date. It is "not" out of date, I use it every day. It expires 6/13. Then I called a representative, who had a very unpleasant attitude and declared she couldn't help me with the credit card issue. (This was after waiting on the phone for 15 minutes). I'm very frustrated because I've never had a problem reserving online before, I use the SW Visa all the time, and I've never, ever encountered a nasty SW representative before (we've been flying SW religiously for more than 10 years). I need to make the reservation now! What can you do to help? Sincerely, Kathleen McGee
Kathleen_T__McG
Explorer C
I did just post a negative comment, but I forgot to add that we were thrilled when you started service between Baltimore and Charleston SC, because our son is stationed at the Marine Air Base in Beaufort. I had no problem booking a flight to Charleston , but I don't understand why I can't book a flight to Boston! Also, I find the new Rapid Rewards system extremely confusing. The old system allowed you to know exactly how many free flights you had. This new system is terrible!
John_Markley
Explorer C
I fly a lot. 8 to 10 domestic trips per month and at least one international flight to Asia each month. The program change has been diffcult and the new web tool does not show reservations I make with my wifes companion pass or my childrens flights, forcing me to make "paper copies" of all reservations for them. It seems so rare for SW to do something that defies common sense, what am I missing?
Christian_Volk
Explorer C
I was 1 flight away from hitting A-list status when Rapid Rewards 2.0 was rolled out, and despite assurances that terms of the old program would be respected through 2011, I've not been awarded my promised status even after flying two more flights since March 1st. Your system is broken and NO word on this. You should be addressing common situations on your website in a FAQ; ie; "What if I hit A-List under the old program but my account doesn't reflect that? When will this be remedied? What do I need to do?" This could cut down on a lot of the calls clogging up your phone lines. The other issue I'm having is when I cancel a trip, my funds are no longer available. Twice now this has happened. I've called SWA three times and been told I would be issues a voucher within hours/days and each time, nothing by the date they said. You can't even solve the glitches you claim you have fixed. I've wasted hours on this. Extremely disappointed. You have a lot of making up to do. If you don't offer courtesy "points" to your rapid rewards members for their hassles on all of this as a mea culpa, a lot of frequent travelers will be angry at you not taking responsibility for all the inconvenience.
Emily_Cutrer
Explorer C
Used your link to Internet Explorer and downloaded the version you said worked. It doesn't. Nor does Firefox, nor does the App on my iPhone/iPad. I don't care any more about the new RR. Some good things do end. I care very much about not being able to make reservations using my Rapid Rewards account. Holding on the telephone is not an option. This is really unbelievable two weeks later!
Emily_Cutrer
Explorer C
Oh--and, by the way--the same "OOPS" message comes up when I try to email Customer Service. I tried to call Customer Service but received a message that everyone was in a staff meeting. When I called back after the time the message said they would be back, I received the same message.
R_D
Explorer C
We have been loyal SW customers for years. We were 3/4 of the way to our next companion pass and all our credits towards the new pass got wiped out. The frustrating thing is that I know this happended to other people but SW is silent on the issue. They just act like nothing has happened. No emails to say whoops we made a mistake and we are fixing it, Nothing. I am also frustrated about the way they chose to leave the credits you had earned towards your next award just hanging instead of just changing them over to the new points. They are betting that you will not figure out how to get a free ticket and you will just loose all these credits. Very poor business practice. As far as the RR Help Line.....I was on hold 35 minutes on a Tuesday morning when an agent finally answered. She assured me that the old system and the new system were still migrating and that all the errors should be corrected by the end of the month. We will see.
roy_leff
Explorer C
For all the good this does, here is one more expression of total disgust. Southwest's new RR program was dishonest in its inception and incompetent in its implementation. When all is said and done, reward travel will be harder to get, not easier, or Southwest wouldn't be changing that most of its customers were satisfied with. And the website is still fuzzed up. My account still doesn't reflect all of my flights, although telephone CSRs assure me they have given me credit. At one time requests for past credit were acknowledged instantaneously; now we are promised emails.
Michael_Schulde
Explorer C
I can't log into my account for over two weeks. Tried Internet Explorer 9 with and without compatibility mode. Also tried Google Chrome. I get the same message all the time: "We are currently unable to complete your request due to an undefined error" Your blog entry seems to be downplaying the issues. What is the REAL status?
markus_gravoosk
Explorer C
I have been a long fan of Southwest. I understand the need for changes in the Rapid Rewards program. But the failure to design the program in a way that respects priore committments you have made, and a deceptive marketing campaign that seems to attempt to obscure what will happen to those committments is very disappointing. I am referring to the plight of the leisure traveller who has been slowly accruing credits in the Rapid Rewards Program in the hope of earning a free ticket. Many of these customers steer their business to you in the hope of a free ticket every year or two. Consider the customer who has accumulated 12 credits, and needs to get their 16th credit by December 31. They were looking forward to the free ticket they were to receive after two more round trips. But now, they all of a sudden need more than two more round trips. If they pay $100 each way, they now need 4 round trips. But even worse, it is not just that they need to fly more. As Dec 31 approaches, they will start losing their accumulated credits. All 12 credits they accumulated will slowly disappear. This scenario applies to a lot of customers. But the worst part of this is that pronouncements you made on your web site and in emails that "your credits are safe" is outright deceptive to these customers. Because of a marketing campaign aimed at convincing this type of customer that they do not need to worry about their accumulated credits, when it is clearly the case that they need to worry, you will have many customers who will feel tricked and deceived when they realize what is happening. Unfortunately, the belief that they were decieved will be justified.
Dinesh_Agrawal
Explorer C
I have only flown SWA for last 15 years. With this new RR program and new website, it is cumbersome to navigate from one place to other. SWA website used to be most friendly but now brakes have been put.
Ann_Goldfein
Explorer C
Many great years, fun flights, and free flights. Now this mess, and apparent mediocrity. I can't stand the fact that you seem like all the other airlines......except for free bags which everyone is forgetting to mention. Sad,sad,sad.
Tim_Dewitt
Explorer C
The new Rapid Rewards is the death nail for this once good company. I've been a member of RR for 20+ years, but no longer. I'll fly ANY airline other than SWA. I had earned 8 flight awards over the past several years and paid $50 each to re-new them. I just discovered that unless I use them all this week, they are no longer eligible to re-new. They also will no longer allow you to trade up to Freedom tickets. WHAT A CROCK! They have lost me as a customer. I have been loyal to them, but they have spit on me.
jeff-van-voorhi
Explorer C
Want to know why the new RR sucks using real numbers. Using typical business flight from BWI to STL and trying to a flight to Vegas for vacation: RR points for: - low end fare=1580 / RT - full fare = 5800 / RT RR points for free Flight (BWI -> LAS) - least expensive = 30540 - unrestricted = 98500 Yields: For lowest RR fare: (using standard reward) - Always booking full fare = 5.8 RT flights (actually saves over 8 before) - Always book WGA fare = 17.2 RT flights (up from 8) For unrestricted RR fare: - Always booking full fare = 17.8 RT (up from 16 using freedom reward) - Always booking WGA fare = 60.2 RT (up from 16 freedom reward). So basically if you are unable to plan ahead (except for vacations) or don't mind stealing from your company or customers (why are you really booking the unrestricted fare) you save a little. In all other cases you go from kind of sucks 17.8 to over 60 RT flights. I would love from someone from SWA to refute my numbers and show where I am wrong (I don't think that is the case). I guess all I can do is vote with my pocketbook.
kathleen_travis
Explorer C
Are you kidding me? Really? Why are you trying to fix something that wasn't broken? Where are my credits, not miles, my credits I had? You say I have 0. Where did they go? What is going on with Southwest, my ex favorite airline? I have already started booking all my flights on American. Take your new rates and new points program and put it where the sun doesn't shine loser.
William_Hits
Explorer C
I tried to attach this to my original post, however it never seems to appear. Let's hope it works this time. I wanted to provide an update to my experience. Issue #1 - I called to book a companion pass for my wife and spent almost 2 hours to complete the transaction. I asked the representative when this functionality will be available again on the website and was told “it should be available soon” Today it is more than 3 weeks past the rollout date and it is still not available. Given that , by definition, I have flown over 100 trips (mostly full fare by the way) and presumably one of Southwest’s more valuable customers I have been asked to pay almost two additional hours for each instance to use a previously available benefit. I truly can’t understand how SW could rollout this revised program knowing full well it would harm their most valuable customers. Issue #2 – You have rendered previously issued Rapid Rewards worthless. I have six Rapid Rewards sitting in my account. I tried to book one for a reward trip from Sacramento to Las Vegas two months in advance ON A TUESDAY both ways and THERE ARE NO SEATS AVAILABLE….nor can I can exchange them for a freedom award. Amazingly I can book a trip with points, even though I can’t imagine who would possible have accrued enough points between the beginning of March and now to use them. WHY WOULD YOU MAKE THESE SEATS AVAILABLE FOR THOSE WITH POINTS AND NOT FOR THOSE WITH PREVIOUSLY ISSUED REWARDS??!!! No one has yet accumulated any points, nor can you exchange “old” rewards for “new” points. This is seriously wrong and simply inexcusable. You tout “no red tape” in your advertisements, yet that is so far from the truth for anyone with previously issued Rapid Rewards. You simply must make more award tickets available or allow customers to exchange old rewards for new points. Issue #3 – The highly marketed “new” benefits (Cruises, International Travel, Hotels, etc…) are a joke. I did some cursory investigation on how many points are required for an economy trip to Europe from CA and discovered that it required 140,000 points. This was for a trip two months in advance on a Tuesday. The equivalent on virtually any other carrier is 40,000 – 50,000. In summary; you have severely inconvenienced your most valuable full fare paying customers, made previously issued awards worthless, and played a shell game with your new improved program….it is crap and the points are significantly less valuable compared to you competitors. Southwest does have a wonderful corporate culture, but that alone will not be enough to keep full fare customers using your airline. Management must back that culture with programs and processes that support that culture….this is a significant failure of management. Your only competitive advantage now is that there is little to no competition on many of the routes you serve, particularly between Northern and Southern CA. I can only hope that United, American, US Airways, Jet Blue, and Delta will re-enter this marketplace and provide some real alternative. Once that happens, you will see a significant decrease in travelers…your value proposition is significantly worse than your competitors with the new program and new customer experience. Postscript – I just noticed that I received a new companion pass in the mail which extended my pass through the end of 2011. My previous pass was valid through the end of November anyway so you have only extended this courtesy for one month. However, from what I can surmise, I think you vaporized my earnings from October 2010 through March 1 2011 in the process of extending this by one month. If this is true it is beyond just poor customer service and we are approaching class action lawsuit territory. I hope there are some savvy lawyers out there who can make you do the right thing. If there are any lawyers reading this who would like more info on my circumstances my email is williamfra@gmail.com
Donald_Guerrier
Explorer C
MEMO TO SOUTHWEST AIRLINES I had not looked at the Website for a few months and it took me a long time to realize that I was not on a fake page or something. I think when I could bring up my rapid rewards total I began to see a little of what has gone on at SWA’s IT Department. Having worked in the communications area for many decades, I’ve learned one thing. Just as carpenters say measure once, measure twice and measure again; new user interfaces must be tested like that and more. This one obviously came out to the public much to soon and maybe without much testing. My points are important to me and I have always felt the airline issuing points should act responsibly and not change the rules in the middle of the game or simply drop accounts that have points available. Whatever I may think, the exact opposite is the norm with all airlines. Now SWA joins the crowd, or should we say joins again, since the point system was changed at least one other time. At that time, customers also lost some of their credits. Well, good luck with the repairs. I hope when you are sure the Website really works you will have a large announcement on the home page telling everyone where to find information on changes made and good instructions with demos on how to use the Website for everything, not just how to book a flight.
Harry_Holmberg
Explorer C
In the vernacular, the new point system sucks. The award certificate that my wife holds =19,200 points. Yet every destination that she tries to book a ticket to for travel between now and October requires over 26,000 points. So a holder of a current award certificate finds that it is useless.
Rohn_Walter
Explorer C
I have loved Southwest from my first flight on your amazing airline. I accepted a job recently in a new city partially because the airport is served by SWA. But the changes to the RR program leave me cold. PLEASE give us back the simplicity of your old program! We hate the points. You have one month before my SW Visa card comes up for renewal. If things don't improve soon, I'm dropping it and going back to Delta. Realizing that all the blog posts in the world won't change anything, I will vote with my pocketbook.
Jason_Francis
Explorer C
I'm one of the business travelers SW is targetting. I fly 35-40 times a year. I was loyally SW, but no longer. I was just a couple flights away from A-List and now I'm starting over? Fail. I had existing free flights that are not expired that used to be free but now I have to pay $50 to use them? Really?? Fail. I'll be sure to let the other guys in the office, who are loyal SW fliers also, know that they just got screwed, too. My 35-40 flights just went to other airlines. Congratulations on successfully alienating one of your most loyal customers for the past 4 years. New Rapid Rewards program? Fail.
Ken_Caldwell
Explorer C
Goodbye Southwest. Your RR program was the ONLY reason I was a loyal customer. I booked about 20 flights with you last year...never flew anybody but SW. I'm certainly not stupid enough to pay double and triple the price just to get more points. Talk about an insult! From here on, I will book the cheapest flight I can find. Frontier and Delta will be getting a lot more business. And oh yeah...I'm canceling the SW Visa card.
Tom_Gray
Explorer C
It has been a month since your post and customer service has went downhill, the site is still very hard to navigate, prices have increased, and the new RR program really stinks. I can't believe you broke the old rule of "don't fix it if it's not broke". I was a very loyal Southwest customer and went out of my way to fly Southwest in the past even if the fare was higher. I will not be doing this anymore. You have managed to turn Southwest into "just another airline" instead of staying unique. Maybe next time you will listen to your frequent flyer customers becuase like many others who have posted comments online I am very disappointed in the "new: Southwest. Tom Gray
rbenz
Explorer C
Having 41 flights banked only to find out that I cannot use them as I could had under the freedom award program, it appears that SWA is devolving into emulating other airlines. The experience has prompted the reevaluation of our business's allegiance with SWA, last year having spent in excess of $100k with the company. The new program has failed in the intended goal of promoting business travel, as this business will be seeking alternatives.
CarltonWO
Explorer C
My laptop or computer is Windows 7 (NOT Windows Vista, there is a difference!). I have already got Microsoft Workplace 2007, but I heard that Workplace 2010 arrived out. I was just curious to understand if it was really worth upgrading from microsoft Office 2010 keygen to Office Professional 2007. Is there any new changes to Workplace 2010? Does Office 2010 possess the Office button (from Windows 7 Starter)? What could be much better for me to do?