A+ Archives - TravelSkills

Checking in on new AirTran A+ Rewards card

March 12, 2013

Here’s an interesting discussion between TICKET reader N.G. and Southwest’s Director of Rapid Rewards regarding recent changes in the AirTran A+ Rewards card.

Dear Chris: I just opened my mail and received the new rules for AirTran’s Juniper/Barclay card that is moving over to Chase.

First, they are changing the annual bonus. I used to receive two $50.00 certificates each anniversary. Now it will be 2,000 A+ reward dollars which get transferred to two A+ Reward Credits. Remember, you need eight credits to get a one way flight; so the hundred dollars is changing to one quarter of a one way flight. That stinks!

Two credits sounds good but they are not flight credits. It takes eight to fly (one way).

They still say every $8,000 charged on the card gets another credit bonus (above the one credit per $1,000 spent). But the Chase site says it will take $9,600 charged to get the AirTran credit bonus.

They are just trying to make me leave…

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I now have over 10 years of Elite status with AirTran and have only flown Delta once (Brazil) in the last five years. I never could get past Silver with Delta because I only fly short hops…

But now Southwest is the new owner and bad things are happening. Like no more business class. And a lot of standing in the cattle yard to board.

And, we still have no idea about Elite reciprocity over at Southwest…

Regards;

NG (Half million Delta; quarter million AirTran; none on Southwest yet)

The TICKET contacted AirTran/Southwest with N.G.’s letter. Here’s what they said:

Dear N.G.:

We’re very sorry for your disappointment in receiving the recent communication regarding your Barclays A+ Rewards Credit Card change in ownership letter. We truly value your loyalty and welcome the opportunity to respond to your concerns.

Southwest B737 at ATL. (Chris McGinnis)

As we combine the operations of AirTran and Southwest, we want to ensure you continue to get the most value from your A+ Rewards Credit Card program. Over time, A+ Members may have fewer opportunities to use the certificates as our terminals change from AirTran to Southwest. [Full integration is expected by end of 2014.] By changing your Anniversary Bonus to 2,000 A+ Rewards Dollars, which is equal to two A+ Rewards Credits, you’ll be able to redeem them towards AirTran flights and upgrades or transfer them to your Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Member account program. Plus, the 2 A+ Rewards Credits are valid for 24 months as opposed to the certificates which were only valid for one year. We hope that this will give you more flexibility and give you opportunities to fly more on our extended network.

In regard to the information you saw on Chase’s website concerning the amount you’ll need to spend in order to receive your credits, the information you relayed in your note is information for Customers that apply for a new card, not existing Cardholders. You’ll continue to receive one A+ Rewards Credit for every 1,000 A+ Rewards Dollars you earn. The way you earn rewards will improve with the transition to Chase. While you’ll continue to earn two A+ Rewards Dollars per $1 for purchases made directly with AirTran Airways, you’ll now also earn two A+ Rewards Dollars per $1 for Southwest Airline purchases and purchases made with Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partners. For all other purchases, you’ll continue to earn one A+ Rewards Dollar per $1 spent on all other purchases. The complete Program rules and regulations will be included in your welcome package along with your new card.

We know our Customers are anxiously awaiting for integration updates. If you’d like for your A+ Rewards Elite Status to be reciprocated on Southwest Airlines, we’d be happy to accommodate that request for you. [Emphasis added] Please provide us with your account information so we can take care of that or feel free to call A+ Customer Service (1-888-327-5878) directly to request through one of our A+ Customer Service Representatives. Again, we value your loyalty and would welcome the opportunity to discuss further with you.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Clarkson, Director of Rapid Rewards, Southwest Airlines

We presented N.G. with that note, and he swung back with a final word that reflects a lot of the frustration frequent flyers are feeling with not just Southwest, but all loyalty programs.

Thanks, Chris.

The point they still miss is I am used to receiving $100.00 each year and the new system will give me 1/4 of a one way ticket; which is worth about $40.00 since you can only use them on cheap segments and have to double up to get the more desirable flights…

But, I guess everyone is squeezing the programs.

Hilton just made some changes that take away from the Diamond members. What are these guys thinking?

Regards,

How do YOU feel about the current state of frequent travel loyalty programs? Are they taking away more than they are giving us? Please leave your comments below.

What you need to know about AirTran

October 3, 2012

Southwest’s takeover of AirTran progressing at a measured pace. (Photo: Southwest Airlines)

Since AirTran was swallowed up by Southwest Airlines last year, it seems to have fallen off the radar of many TICKET readers. To get caught up with what’s up with Atlanta’s second largest carrier, we scored an interview with AirTran president Bob Jordan. Take a read through the Q&A and you’ll learn why the transition from AirTran to Southwest is moving so slowly, what Southwest loves about AirTran, plans for a combined loyalty program, an update on wi-fi availability, and what business travelers should like about Southwest.

Q: What’s the current status of the integration of AirTran into Southwest? Are you pleased with the results of the purchase so far?

A: The integration is progressing well and has been successful because all of our employees have stepped up to make it happen. AirTran’s corporate culture focuses on providing great customer service, running a great operation, and offering low fares, which are obviously things Southwest is very passionate about as well. So it was a great fit. We are very pleased with the purchase so far, and are very excited about the future.

AirTran President Bob Jordan

Q: Do you still think that AirTran is a viable brand? Why or why not?

A: Absolutely – just look at our record 84.2% combined [Southwest + AirTran] load factor we experienced in August! We would not have hit that milestone without AirTran’s exceptionally strong performance. This is a successful company that fits well within our philosophy and business strategy. You know this in Atlanta and so do we — AirTran has a loyal customer base, and we want to continue to earn their business while growing the Southwest brand at Hartsfield-Jackson and giving them more itineraries.

Q: What is (or are) the most important lesson(s) you’ve learned from AirTran? From a consumer perspective, is there anything that AirTran did or does better than Southwest?

A: The biggest difference between the two airlines is obviously AirTran’s international service. What better way for Southwest to expand into international service than to bring in-house an entire company that has done that successfully? AirTran has launched several new international routes to new destinations in Mexico. Customers are responding well to new leisure markets that connect Orange County with nonstop service to Los Cabos, and we now offer nonstop flights from both San Antonio and Austin to Cancun. Mexico City is also a new AirTran destination and we’re carrying a lot of business customers there with daily flights from both Orange County and San Antonio. For now, these flights are under the AirTran brand, and we intend to keep it that way through the integration. But eventually, all international routes will be flown under the Southwest brand. By 2015, Southwest will be offering international flights from a new facility at Houston Hobby airport and it will be easy for Atlantans to plug into that as well.

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Q: How many AirTran jets have been converted into Southwest jets? What’s the schedule for conversion?

A: These conversions are more than just repainting, so it takes some time. So far, we’ve converted eight of about 50 AirTran 737-700s and that will continue at a very measured pace (one or two each month). It is important to us that we do this in the right way with the right timing. The brand conversions will unfold route-by-route, so customers could see a gradual shift in current all-AirTran routes to mixed AirTran and Southwest service, and eventually all Southwest service. But we are talking in terms of years, not months. We’re aiming to the have the vast majority of this done by 2015.

Q: When do you think the AirTran brand will disappear completely? Why not just integrate operations, paint the planes and be done with it like other airlines have done in recent mergers? What’s the value in keeping AirTran around for so long?

A: It’s hard to know at this point, a lot of factors will determine that. The key thing to remember is that with the AirTran purchase, we didn’t cherry-pick a failing airline to scoop up and rescue. We found a successful partner that provides Southwest with the ability to serve markets we’ve wanted to serve for a long time, such as Atlanta and the international markets. Because we have been historically a domestic carrier, we couldn’t immediately transition all AirTran service to Southwest. Even if we could, it still wouldn’t have made sense. AirTran is successful, provides great service and low fares, and that allows us to integrate in a way that is not rushed or hurried.

Southwest Airlines all-coach cabin (Photo: Southwest Airlines)

Q: Is it smarter for a frequent traveler in Atlanta to choose Southwest or AirTran when they both serve the same route– such as ATL-LAX or ATL-SFO (which started Sept 30)?

A: Loyalty points easily flow back and forth between the two brands, so there is no advantage to taking one brand over the other. We’ve seen Southwest customers transferring points to fly in Business Class on AirTran’s international flights, for example. And we are seeing a lot of AirTran customers engaging in Rapid Rewards by converting their banked points for Southwest flights, remembering that Southwest offers six times as many flights every day as AirTran. While we don’t have a firm launch date yet, work is underway and eventually there will be a single loyalty program with every bit of AirTran-earned credit available to use in a larger Southwest Airlines.

Q: How do you think business travelers will react to not having AirTran’s business class on long haul flights like ATL-LAX or SFO?

A: Southwest has a great product for business travelers and has built a lot of loyalty within the business sector over the years. In fact, Southwest carries more domestic business travelers than any other airline. Southwest offers low last-minute (walk-up) fares, which we know business travelers are much more likely to use. We’ve seen a great response to our Early Bird product, where travelers to pay a $10 fee for early boarding privileges.

We are making some additional changes in the cabin to improve the business customers’ experience on Southwest. For example, we continue to install wi-fi on Southwest aircraft and have been offering an introductory price point of just $5 per device—good for all-day access. People love it. We now have more than 320 wi-fi enabled aircraft with our satellite-based technology that will be a brand differentiator for us as we expand our horizon. We’re now providing pre-trip emails letting our customers know that their flight has been scheduled with a wi-fi equipped aircraft. We are purposefully deploying those aircraft on longer flights so passengers can be productive in the air. We’re also testing live streaming TV onboard these aircraft and have seen positive customer reaction so far. I am confident AirTran’s best customers will see the benefits of flying Southwest, but we have to be sure we clearly explain all that it offers so that those customers will make the transition.

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How new AirTran – Southwest point conversion will affect you

April 23, 2012

Current Southwest Airlines Route Map

Today Southwest Airlines announced that members of AirTran A+ Rewards and Southwest Rapid Rewards can now transfer points between the two programs.

Key points to remember:

>Members of both programs now have access to a total of 97 destinations in the two airlines’ combined networks. (See above for all Southwest destinations. Click here for AirTran route map.)

>The two programs remain separate for now—today’s announcement is about point conversion between the two programs. It’s not about a merger of the two programs. Eventually, the AirTran program will disappear, but Southwest would not commit to any specific date for this. (Last we heard, AirTran will be around until at least 2015!)

>In order for the conversion to work, you’ve got to be a member of Southwest Rapid Rewards—if you’ve not joined yet, here’s how.

>Southwest says that the new conversion site is similar to online banking sites where users can transfer money between multiple accounts online and in real time.

>Unfortunately, transferring AirTran points to the Southwest program won’t extend their life. Southwest says, “When transferring A+ Rewards Credits into Rapid Rewards Credits, the expiration date of the newly created Rapid Rewards credits will remain the same as the original expiration date of the A+ Rewards Credits converted.”

>Points transfers will not count toward elite status in either program. Points or credits earned by qualifying flight or partner activity will count toward elite status in the program in which they were earned.

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>While Southwest would not reveal specific membership numbers, it’s safe to say that the Rapid Rewards membership base is exponentially larger than AirTran’s. All those Southwest Rapid Rewards members will (for the first time ever) be able to redeem points for international flights—meaning AirTran flights to Mexico and the Caribbean. With that in mind, AirTran members with plans to redeem A+ points for trips to these destinations should act fast—there is going to be a run on award flights by the zillions of members of Rapid Rewards, and the award seats are capacity controlled.

>Along the same lines as the above blurb, the zillions of Southwest Rapid Rewards members will now have access to those nice AirTran business class seats using their converted points for upgrades or awards…so it’s going to get tougher to sit up front on the dwindling number of AirTran business class seats out there…

>The points conversion site will live on Southwest.com—AirTran members will find links to the new conversion site from the AirTran.com A+ Rewards page.

>One A+ Rewards credit will convert into one Southwest Rewards credit, which means it will take 16 AirTran A+ Reward credits to equal one standard roundtrip award on Southwest.

>In the Southwest program, once your account reaches 16 credits, one standard roundtrip award credit is automatically generated, which expires in one year. So if you transfer 16 A+ Rewards into Southwest credits, a standard roundtrip award is automatically generated, which is valid for one year. (Note: Southwest’s Standard Award can be split into two in order to use for two separate one-way flights. But you cannot generate a one-way award with only eight credits, as you can now do on AirTran.)

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