Southwest adds new business fare type, unrestricted award flights

Southwest Airlines has unveiled some enhancements to its fares lineup and its frequent flyer program, Rapid Rewards. In the fares area, the airline has introduced a new premium fare level called Business Select. It’s priced slightly higher than Southwest’s regular Business fares; like those fares, Business Select prices are refundable, reusable, and permit same-day fight changes at no cost. But the Business Select fares also guarantee purchasers priority boarding (i.e., in the first section of the airline’s “A” boarding group), gives them one free alcoholic beverage during their flight; and pays out extra credits in the Rapid Rewards program (two credits for flights of 750 miles or more; 1.25 credits for shorter flights). The fare displays on www.southwest.com have been streamlined as well, so search results now show three general fare categories – low-cost “Wanna Get Away” fares; Business fares; and Business Select – compared with as many as eight fare levels shown in previous displays. In other news, Southwest said that its Rapid Rewards program now offers new Freedom Awards in addition to the usual Standard Awards. The new awards require twice as many program credits as the standard ones, but they are not capacity controlled, except for “a few blackout dates around major holidays,” a spokesman said. In addition, Rapid Rewards members who rack up 32 one-way or 16 roundtrip flights over 12 months will become members of the new “A-List” – a status that means “they will be automatically checked in for their flight in advance of departure and will most likely receive an ‘A’ boarding pass,” the spokesman said. For more details on Southwest’s product enhancements, go to www.southwest.com/new?src=PR_110707.