Southwest Airlines Community

January 6, 2011 Hello Mr. Kelly, I have read your awesome magazine commentary so many times, I feel as though I know you. Now for the bad part. UNBELIEVABLE! Words can't even describe how I feel. YOUR EXECUTIVE TEAM CANNOT BE SERIOUS! I hate to say it, because I luv your airline and have flown it everyweek for the last 20+ years. YOU HAVE NOW CAVED TO THE INDUSTRY NORM, WITH THE SO CALLED "NEW RAPID REWARDS". when I saw the email and the particulars, I thought it was a saturday night live skit. Flight rewards and redemption have always been so easy, fair and uncomplicated and the other "majors" hated it. You have not only ruined the benefits that I have seen for so many years of flying regionally in the southwest, but you have thrown up a softball for rebuttal from your competitors. You guys have done such a nice job at combatting the "bag fee wars", but i can only imagine the humor and ridicule from the other carriers once their marketing departments get a hold of your website, emails, and the vanna white explanation of points, credits, and multipliers. Truly comical! I have always gone out of my way to defend SWA and fly it no matter what, but I guess all good things must change. I feel like I lost a member of my family after all these years. Please reconsider this huge mistake, Southwest is a grassroots airline and thousands and thousands of fliers like myself have built it! Because of the benefits of your original rapid rewards program, I have stopped in many cities that i never intended, flown coast to coast on 737's when i could have flown larger aircraft, never had an assigned seat, much less first class. IT WAS ALL WORTH IT! NOT ANY MORE! What a shame! ... View more

The great thing about this forum is that you guys can fix this before it ever gets out of hand. DITCH THE "NEW" RAPID REWARDS. The previous posters are correct. Please learn from the coca cola people. This could be one of the biggest marketing blunders in corporate history. ... View more

January 6, 2011 Hello Mr. Kelly, I have read your awesome magazine commentary so many times, I feel as though I know you. Now for the bad part. UNBELIEVABLE! Words can't even describe how I feel. YOUR EXECUTIVE TEAM CANNOT BE SERIOUS! I hate to say it, because I luv your airline and have flown it everyweek for the last 20+ years. YOU HAVE NOW CAVED TO THE INDUSTRY NORM, WITH THE SO CALLED "NEW RAPID REWARDS". when I saw the email and the particulars, I thought it was a saturday night live skit. Flight rewards and redemption have always been so easy, fair and uncomplicated and the other "majors" hated it. You have not only ruined the benefits that I have seen for so many years of flying regionally in the southwest, but you have thrown up a softball for rebuttal from your competitors. You guys have done such a nice job at combatting the "bag fee wars", but i can only imagine the humor and ridicule from the other carriers once their marketing departments get a hold of your website, emails, and the vanna white explanation of points, credits, and multipliers. Truly comical! I have always gone out of my way to defend SWA and fly it no matter what, but I guess all good things must change. I feel like I lost a member of my family after all these years. Please reconsider this huge mistake, Southwest is a grassroots airline and thousands and thousands of fliers like myself have built it! Because of the benefits of your original rapid rewards program, I have stopped in many cities that i never intended, flown coast to coast on 737's when i could have flown larger aircraft, never had an assigned seat, much less first class. IT WAS ALL WORTH IT! NOT ANY MORE! What a shame! ... View more