Up until today, I have been thrilled with SWA's Rapid Rewards flyer program. I've been using SWA almost exclusively for the past 4 years (along with the credit card), and have been an A-Lister and Companion Pass holder for 3 years...
For those of us that do a lot of regional flying, I agree with the first Anonymous post that this new way of computing Awards is a real disappointment. It remains to be seen whether the merger with Airtran will change my attitude about this program because the Airtran routes open many more long-haul cities and options to me in the Southeast that I've been using other carriers for.
As for now, however, my immediate reaction is Rapid Rewards 2.0: More choices. More difficult. More expensive. Less rewarding.
Welcome to a much more complicated way to move about the country.
... View more