Stay current with the latest news and announcements from Rapid Rewards® and A+ Rewards.
Rapid Rewards® and A+ Rewards are excited to announce the creation of rewardsfarther.com – a new site designed to communicate our progress of integrating Southwest Airlines® and AirTran® Airways, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines. The site will be updated when new information is available, so check back often. We look forward to seeing you onboard soon!
As a Reminder:
At this time, there are no changes to your customer experience on either Southwest Airlines or AirTran Airways. Please continue to book travel just as you always have. Members of both programs will continue to earn and redeem as they always have.
Members of Both Frequent Flyer Programs Can Now Use Their Loyalty Rewards for Access to 97 Destinations, Including Mexico and
the Caribbean
Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) today announced that Members of its Rapid Rewards (Southwest Airlines) and A+ Rewards (AirTran Airways) frequent flyer programs are now able to transfer their loyalty rewards between the two programs to redeem for reward travel to 97 destinations*, including Mexico and the Caribbean. While the two loyalty programs remain separate for now, the ability to redeem rewards for more destinations represents an enhancement to both programs.
"We are thrilled to share this news today with Members of both Rapid Rewards and A+ Rewards," said Kevin Krone, Southwest Airlines Vice President of Marketing, Sales, and Distribution. "Members of both programs have been asking for this ability, and we know they will enjoy using their loyalty rewards to travel to even more destinations."
The ability to convert loyalty rewards requires an active account in each program. Members then use their Rapid Rewards Member account number to access the loyalty rewards conversion capability on southwest.com®. Southwest's Rapid Rewards Members can convert their Rapid Rewards Points, active Credits, and active Awards/Certificates into A+ Rewards Credits for flights on AirTran. AirTran's A+ Rewards Members can convert their active A+ Rewards Credits into Rapid Rewards Credits for flights on Southwest Airlines.
Members can make the following conversions:
Transferring Southwest's Rapid Rewards* to AirTran's A+ Rewards
Note: 16 A+ Credits = one roundtrip Coach ticket on AirTran
Transferring AirTran's A+ Rewards to Southwest's Rapid Rewards
Note: 16 Rapid Rewards Credits = 1 Standard Award
To learn more about Rewards Conversion, and view step-by-step instructions and videos, visit http://www.rewardsfarther.com. For more information about Rapid Rewards, visit http://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards. For more information about A+ Rewards, visit http://www.aplusrewards.com.
*Reflects 2012 schedule changes announced through November 2, 2012.
1Rapid Rewards Points can be converted in increments of 300 points. The expiration date of newly created A+ Rewards Credits will be one year from the date of creation. Please note that Rapid Rewards Points that are transferred into A+ Rewards Credits cannot be transferred back into
Rapid Rewards as Points.
2Rapid Rewards Credits can be converted in increments of .25 credits. The expiration date of newly created A+ Rewards Credits will be the same as the original expiration date of the Rapid Rewards Credits transferred.
3Active one-way Award Certificates can be transferred for 8 A+ Rewards Credits. The expiration date of newly created A+ Rewards Credits will remain the same as the original expiration date on the Award/Certificate.
4Active one-way Award Certificates can be transferred for 16 A+ Rewards Credits. The expiration date of newly created A+ Rewards Credits will remain the same as the original expiration date on the Award/Certificate.
5Credits can be converted in increments of .25 credits. The expiration date of newly created Rapid Rewards Credits will be the same as the original expiration date of the A+ Rewards Credits converted. Once you reach 16 total combined credits in your Rapid Rewards account, a Standard Award will automatically generate, carrying an expiration date of one year from the date the Award was created.
SOURCE Southwest Airlines
Southwest and AirTran Offer Customers More Flight Options on a Single Itinerary; Achieve Another Important Milestone in the Ongoing Integration
Luv is in the air! Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) announced today that it is taking the next step in its marriage with subsidiary AirTran Airways. Customers are now able to purchase a growing number of itineraries between the Southwest and AirTran networks for travel on a single itinerary. Soon, Customers will be able to book flights to any of the airlines’ combined 97 destinations, including International, in one transaction.
With the merge of the networks, Customers will continue to earn and redeem currency through the frequent flyer loyalty programs of their Marketing Carrier, regardless of the Operating Carrier they travel on. Customers should be enrolled in both Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® and AirTran Airways A+ Rewards programs in order to earn currency from whichever airline they purchase a ticket. Loyalty Members also have the ability to transfer their currency between the two loyalty programs.
"Connecting the networks is a priority in 2013 and a major milestone as we work to combine our two Companies,” says Bob Jordan, Chief Commercial Officer at Southwest Airlines and President of AirTran. “With a connected network, we can offer Customers more itineraries, more destinations, more low fares, and a taste of what’s to come once the integration is complete."
By connecting the Southwest and AirTran networks, Customers may:
As is standard with industry “code share” arrangements, the Marketing Carrier’s rules and policies apply to reservations and ticketing. The Operating Carrier’s procedures apply to boarding, seating, and the onboard experience. Southwest is making one exception: Any itinerary with a Southwest segment or that is purchased through a Southwest point-of-sale channel will not have bag fees for the first or second checked bag (weight and size restrictions apply).
Southwest Airlines announced plans to acquire AirTran Airways on Sept. 27, 2010, an acquisition that significantly expanded Southwest Airlines’ low-fare service to more Customers in more domestic markets, creating hundreds of additional low-fare itineraries for the traveling public. Since Southwest Airlines closed the deal to purchase AirTran Airways on May 2, 2011, Southwest and AirTran Employees have worked hard to guarantee a thoughtful and smooth integration process while providing the same high level of Customer Service that Customers have come to expect. To date, Southwest Airlines has welcomed 29 percent of AirTran Employees to the Southwest Family, has converted 11 AirTran Airways 737-700 aircraft to the Southwest paint scheme and interior configuration, and has transitioned five AirTran Airways-served cities into Southwest Airlines operations.
Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways took the first step in connecting their networks on Jan. 26, 2013, by offering a small number of shared itineraries in five markets. The initial phase was successful, and the airlines are prepared to launch in 39 cities on Feb. 25, 2013. The airline is on pace to fully connect the networks in April.
The process of a full integration of the AirTran Airways 737 fleet into the Southwest Airlines fleet (i.e., paint scheme and interior configuration) and transition to a single ticketing system is a large and complex process that is expected to be completed by the end of 2014. Southwest Airlines realized $142 million of net, annualized, pre-tax synergies during 2012, and expects to achieve $400 million in 2013 (excluding acquisition and integration expenses).
Customers can find specific details and answers to frequently asked questions by visiting southwest.com.
For more information about transferring loyalty currency, visit rewardsfarther.com
SOURCE Southwest Airlines