Will Southwest Add More Wanna Get Away Fares

Southwest Airlines unveiled a new fare class called Wanna Get Away Plus, which will be pricier than its current cheapest ticket.
Ane primal perk of Wanna Get Abroad Plus is the ability to transfer flight credits, which Southwest calls travel funds.
Another perk of the new fare? The ability to switch to a different flight on the day of travel at no cost if seats are bachelor.

Southwest Airlines passengers sitting on travel credits from a canceled trip often ask the airline if they can employ them for a ticket for someone else.

The airline'southward answer is ever the same: a resounding no, as is the case at most airlines.

"Seems like the money I already paid should be usable however I please," one traveler hoping to transfer credits to his son said in a tweet to the airline in early March. "Hoping you can fix this foreign policy."

Southwest is about to change the policy – for a price.

The airline unveiled details of its long-awaited new fare category on Thursday, its first since 2007, and a key perk is the ability to transfer flying credits, which Southwest calls travel funds.

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Southwest Wanna Go Abroad Plus tickets vs. Wanna Get Away

The option will exist included for travelers who buy the new ticket type, to be called Wanna Become Abroad Plus, which will be pricier than its current cheapest ticket, called Wanna Get Away. The airline is offering it and other perks in a bid to get travelers to pay more than for their ticket.

"That is a pain point that a lot of our customers relay, particularly on leisure travel," said Jonathan Clarkson, Southwest's vice president of marketing, loyalty and products. "They take these funds that they are either running out of time to utilise or don't have the power to apply or would prefer to accept somebody else close to them use them only there's non an piece of cake manner to transfer."

Southwest Airlines ticketing agent helps a traveler at the check-in counter at Denver International Airport in Denver.

Southwest did not disclose how much more travelers will generally pay for a Wanna Get Away Plus ticket than a Wanna Go Abroad ticket except to call the increase "modest." The price of the upsell won't be known until the airline rolls out the new fare lineup, which is expected past the end of June.

"I call back we will see a meaningful percentage of our customers buying upward to Wanna Go Abroad Plus," Clarkson said.

The transfer option is also being added to the airline's priciest tickets, chosen Anytime and Business Select, but those tickets are already refundable and so the benefit isn't as disquisitional.

Southwest Airlines currently has three ticket types: Wanna Get Away, Anytime and Business Select. The airline is adding a fourth category between Wanna Get Away and Anytime, to be called Wanna Get Away Plus.

Can you switch to an before flight on Southwest?

The new Wanna Get Away Plus tickets will include some other key perk that the airline says volition entice travelers to buy up: the ability to switch to a dissimilar flight on the day of travel at no cost if seats are available (confirmed or standby. )

The airline'due south Wanna Get Away tickets offer same-day changes when available but passengers must pay whatsoever fare divergence, which can be significant at the terminal minute.

"If in that location'due south ane thing we've all learned during the pandemic, it'south that plans alter," Clarkson said, "and both of these elements requite customers the opportunity to adapt to that."

Watterson chosen the aforementioned-mean solar day alter option a "substantial do good" for travelers, especially business organization travelers.

"You show upwards at 5 and you lot want to go on an earlier flying. You tin practice a change if a seat's available," he said.

What is Early on Bird Check-In for Southwest?

The coming ticket changes announced Thursday weren't limited to the unveiling of Wanna Get Away Plus, a name Southwest included in customer surveys when information technology was researching new fare categories a few years agone.

The airline's Someday tickets take new features, most notably the addition of Southwest'south EarlyBird Check-In. EarlyBird Check-In, which gives travelers a better boarding position in Southwest'south unique open seating system, is currently only sold separately. The airline charges $xv to $25 per person per flight.

The EarlyBird pick, which automatically assigns rider boarding positions 12 hours before Southwest'due south standard online check-in begins, will withal be available for buy with Wanna Get Away or Wanna Go Away tickets, the airline's executives said. (Business organization Select tickets already include the airline'due south almost coveted boarding positions.) The product is a large moneymaker for Southwest, bringing in more than $400 million a year earlier the pandemic.

With Anytime ticket buyers automatically added to the EarlyBird pool, and checked in ahead of those who buy EarlyBird, won't Southwest passengers who pay for the product lose ground in their quest for the best possible seat?

Clarkson and Watterson insist any change will be slight.

"It probably only adds a couple (of) boarding positions to the average boarding position that somebody'southward going to get already," Clarkson said.

Watterson said some Anytime ticket buyers already pay for EarlyBird.

"Yous could easily see a case where it does not change that number very much because now they become information technology for free," he said, calculation that Southwest volition continue to manage the number of EarlyBird slots sold.

Are Southwest flights refundable?

Despite the flexibility with the new Wanna Get Away Plus tickets, those tickets and Wanna Get Away tickets will not be refundable. Travelers will receive a credit that can exist used inside 12 months of the ticket buy engagement.

The but Southwest fares that will be refundable, meaning travelers tin can go their money back, remain the pricier Business Select and Someday fares.

Story continues beneath.

Does Southwest take basic economy?

Watterson has said for months that the milk shake-up of Southwest's fare structure would non take annihilation abroad from travelers, i.e., by making Wanna Get Away tickets more like basic economy tickets or budget airlines' no-frills tickets.

The airline kept that promise on Th, with no changes to its nearly pop ticket. Travelers will still receive frequent flyer miles, two gratis bags and have no ticket change fees, among other current features.

"Zero is being taken away from Wanna Become Away. It is still the aforementioned product that customers accept come to know and love," Clarkson said. "Information technology's counter to non-client-axial industry trends of removing benefits ... and forcing customers to buy up to a less punitive product."