Southwest Airlines appears to be testing changes to one of its most beloved perks, the Companion Pass. A recently leaked Rapid Rewards survey suggests the airline could drastically overhaul the program and restrict its availability to only the highest elite tiers.

Southwest May Gut the Companion Pass, According to Leaked Survey

The Companion Pass is a unique perk to Southwest Airlines and is essentially a BOGO pass. If you fly 100 flights or earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year, you can take a companion with you and only pay taxes (whether you are using miles or dollars to pay for your tickets). What has made this deal even sweeter is that Southwest has counted credit card sign-up bonuses and spending toward this total, making it even easier to qualify for this pass.

Revisions to Southwest’s Rapid Rewards program are under consideration, specifically in terms of updating elite status tiers to offer four or even five levels (currently, there are only two; A-List and A-List Preferred). Under the proposed changes:

• Only the top tier would retain the full Companion Pass (unlimited free companion travel)
• The tier below might receive a limited number of one-way companion certificates per year
• Lower tiers would get no companion privileges at all

These changes were floated in a recent survey to select members. Specifically, the survey asked about higher thresholds to earn top-tier elite status and changing requirements from one-way flights to round-trip flights.

Why It Matters

Southwest’s Companion Pass is legendary: it allows a companion to fly free (taxes and fees only) alongside a ticketed passenger, on both paid and award bookings, a rarity in U.S. domestic travel. Perhaps more so than the two free checked bags, it is a benefit that has defined loyalty to Southwest.

It also fuels credit card acquisitions. Many consumers chase the pass through introductory bonuses and credit card spending, a key profit engine for both Southwest and Chase.

But we are seeing customer blowback already on online forums, with flyers threatening to leave the carrier over this or at least limit flying to only when the route and schedule make sense.

Southwest, once a “budget” carrier, is rarely the cheapest option in a market any longer. Quite the contrary, it is often the most expensive. But people will not pay a premium to fly Southwest when the benefits that accompany flying Southwest are eviscerated.

This move feels emblematic of Southwest’s broader pivot. The airline has recently restructured fares, added bag fees, tied travel credits to expiration dates, and devalued Rapid Rewards, all thanks to the influence of activist investor Elliott Management.

Restricting the Companion Pass would mark another hawkish shift toward legacy-carrier-style monetization, alienating the very customers who made Southwest stand apart.

CONCLUSION

It’s still early: the survey merely gauges sentiment and presents possible models. No official changes have been announced. But given Southwest’s recent track record, the warning signs are flashing bright.

If the Companion Pass becomes exclusive to top-tier elites or is reduced to a handful of token certificates, Southwest will lose what remains of its core loyalty differentiation. But would it surprise anyone after all the changes we’ve seen over the last few months at the Dallas-based airline?

Frequent flyers won’t take kindly to this one. We will wait for an official update,  but brace yourselves for the possibility that the Companion Pass might soon change…for the worse.

image: Southwest Airlines // Hat Tip: Danny the Deal Guru