SouthwestLUV

used to be American aviation’s hero, but alas, they’ve lived long enough to become the villain. They’re no longer the close-knit employer who became the people’s airline with open seating, “bags fly free,” and low-cost fares. Nowadays, Southwest is regularly more expensive than other mainline carriers and is breaking tradition to appease an activist investor. And this past week, they just made another unpopular move, one sure to alienate their frequent fliers.

• Without warning, Southwest announced changes to the number of miles that flyers will earn on its cheaper “Wanna Get Away” and “Wanna Get Away Plus” fares — reducing mileage earnings by up to 67%.
• The changes will also affect flyers with status on Southwest, significantly nerfing earnings for A-List and A-List Preferred members, who earn 25% or 100% bonuses on the fares they choose.

Southwest goes Southworst: The changes will apply immediately, including flights already booked but not flown. Mile earnings will remain unaffected for the airline’s “Anytime” fares, while “Business Select” saw a modest increase. However, these changes are unlikely to help many flyers, who tend to book Southwest’s most affordable fares — which themselves are not even really affordable anymore. The effort, likely a product of a desire to shore up the company’s costs, represents one of the worst devaluations in recent memory, but that’s to be expected as the airline industry destroys programs once designed to promote loyalty.