Aiming to provide travelers more flexibility when booking their trips, Southwest Airlines announced the launch of its new fare class. Named ‘Wanna Get Away Plus,’ Southwest’s new fare will allow travelers to take advantage of same-day changes and standby flights, Southwest informed in a press release.
The airline company’s new fare policy joins Wanna Get Away, Anytime, and Business Select, and will be available for customers in the second quarter of 2022.
Thre new fare represents a major change in the company’s tickets sales policy in 15 years. In 2007, Southwest Airlines launched it’s Business Select class which includes free alcohol and priority boarding.
According to SouthWest said that in addition to the benefits, Wanna Get Away Plus offers transferable flight credits, a new benefit that enables Customers to make a one-time transfer of eligible unused flight credit to a new traveler for future use, more flexibility through same-day confirmed change/same-day standby, and more earning power with 8 times more than Rapid Rewards points.
Also, customers who opt for a refundable Anytime or Business Select fare and Southwest’s Tier Members will receive more benefits, the airlines said. Business Select and Anytime fares will have the same transferable flight credit benefit as Wanna Get Away Plus. Anytime fares will also gain EarlyBird Check-In6, Priority Lane, and Express Lane benefits. Tier Members (A-List /A-List Preferred Customers) will now receive same-day confirmed change in addition to same-day standby.
These changes to Business Select and Anytime will all be available to all Customers when Wanna Get Away Plus is available for sale in all Southwest channels.
The process is simple. Travelers who book these tickets will also be able to transfer eligible unused flight credits to someone for future use. Transfers are one-time only and both people must be Rapid Rewards members. The new benefits are in addition to Southwest’s current perks like two free checked bags, no change fees, and free TV, movies, and texting on board.
Andrew Watterson, Southwest’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said in an audio that this new fare will attract customers as a positive experience with a quality product brings them back for the next flight. “The desired outcome here is to have four quality fare products with reasonable sell-ups in between and let the customer choose what fits their needs. But all the fare products are sufficient for travel.”
Despite the benefits included in this new fare, Southwest Airlines hasn’t unfolded how much more it will cost yet.
Southwest is also working to provide a flight credit transfer feature to those who book refundable Anytime or Business Select fares. By the end of 2022, Southwest customers who book Anytime fares to gain EarlyBird Check-In, will allow to use the priority lane, and use the express lane benefits, while Tier Members will receive same-day confirmed change and same-day standby.
