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Keep us in Retirement!

Profman2
Explorer B

Southwest,

 

A huge part of us loyal to you are nearing retirement.  Many of us will not travel at the extreme rate our business lives have demanded.  Please, make a reasonable requirement for those of us who have been A List or A List Preferred for many many years to at least have an A list lifetime status.  That would cost Southwest very little, keep us extremely loyal and give those borderline A List qualifiers even more reason to hit those status levels year after year.

 

My company currently allows me full travel choices and I have made Southwest my pick year after year. Please help me keep that loyalty after well more than a decade of A List Preferred status. Without that incentitive, my flights have to be based more on cost and convienience where lifetime status with Southwest would make them basically always my first choice.

 

Please give us long term loyalists some serious thought.

14 REPLIES 14

Re: Keep us in Retirement!

LindseyD
Retired Community Manager

Hi, @Profman2,

 

Thanks for joining the Community! Glad to have you here.

 

You are not the first to propose a lifetime status program, and I can definitely understand the appeal of the idea. In order to maintain the integrity of our Rapid Rewards program and continue to provide the perks associated with each Tier Status, we must consistently adhere to our program rules. Saying “no” to a request for a Tier Status that has not been truly earned helps ensure that we are able to say “yes” to offering benefits to our qualifying Members in the future.

 

Still, I hope you won't be discouraged from sharing your thoughts and ideas on this platform. We're glad to have your feedback, and we want you to keep it coming. 

 

Re: Keep us in Retirement!

Profman2
Explorer B

That is probaly the lamest write back I have received in 50 years.  I'd have to guess your in marketing.  If your airline has such short sided vision to not realize you can keep peoples loyalty and at the same time encourage current earners to hit their yearly milestones of A List or above level, then we the consumer, should be looking more at price, routes and your competitors.  Sad for you to think you are limited in rewarding high level flyers for years of staying loyal to Southwest at very little cost to Southwest.  If you don't think staying loyal for 10-15 years isn't "earning" it, your wearing blinders.

Re: Keep us in Retirement!

texastaz
Explorer C

I agree with Profman2.  How about 20+ years of committment? 

 

Could you possibly consider this?  Make a special "Golden A-List" reward for 65+ that achieved A-List or Preferred status for 10+ years?

 

Not looking to build points, just looking for early boarding maybe at a minimum.  Suggestions?  Maybe present it to senior management and see if it floats?

 

Thanks!

Re: Keep us in Retirement!

Merlinswizzard
Explorer C

I too must go with the fact that you just threw is aside after we supprted you for many years.  I do not travel that often now, however, the experience I just encountered was pitiful at best.  I am used to my a-list preferred status and forgot to log on and get my ticket.  So I got online and saw the early bird.  I thought great.  My fault,. I'll pay for it... After spending $45 for my wife son  and i, I find I still have C status on my flight.  Note I'm sure you want to go into your policies like the last writer, so let me safe you the time.  I KNOW the freaking policy.!  But the early bird is the lamest program you guys have.  Why would I want it 36 hours before?  Anyway. After 30 years of flying, I'm so disappointed with your new customer service, so I'll follow your policy for one more flight, but it is going to have to be something really big to get me on another one

Re: Keep us in Retirement!

Profman2
Explorer B

As you all see, they will continue to ignore us.  For all the good their pilots and flight attendants and their airport internal folks truly are, their care over customer concerns in their management team is severely lacking.  Never get an honest or decent reply. Sad a great airline is made by their people and damaged buy their poor customer relations team.

Re: Keep us in Retirement!

hberman18136
Explorer C

Lindsey,

i do find it remarkable that you replied to the first post in less than 24 hours then ignored the remaining posts.  Lest you forget, once people retire they still travel and you are losing revenue.  I have million mile status on AA and UA.  I fly them when i'm not flying SW rather than fly Delta for example.  They provide minimal perks; but, it is still nice to be remembered.

HB

Re: Keep us in Retirement!

LindseyD
Retired Community Manager

Hi @hberman18136,

 

The Southwest Community is first and foremost a Customer-to-Customer discussion platform, and it is my job as a Community Moderator to help facilitate conversation and take the ideas and feedback that come to life in this forum back to our Community stakeholders so it can inform change and future business decisions. I am sorry if there is an impression that I've ignored posts on this Community, when quite the opposite is true. 

 

We will always welcome feedback from our Customers, and that includes suggested changes and/or updates to the Rapid Rewards Program.

 

Re: Keep us in Retirement!

dfwskier
Aviator A

Years ago Continental had such a pogram. Five consecutive years of eaned Gold status (the highest in place in the mid 90's)  got you

permanent gold satus. The program transferred to United after CO was aquired. Now 20 years later I am permanent United 1k (highest possible program level). I just have to fly at least 4 United flights a year to keep it.

Re: Keep us in Retirement!

dfwskier
Aviator A

I'd suggest that you write Herb CCing Gary. At the very least I expect you'll get a more sincere reply than you've gotten so far.