A spokesperson for Southwest said that the change comes amid the company’s effort to “reimagine” the customer experience.
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Southwest Airlines Co. in recent days has revealed significant changes coming in the days and weeks ahead as it prepares for a transformative 2025.
First, starting Dec. 4, the Dallas-based airline plans to begin preparing cabins for landing earlier than usual. Flight attendants will start to prepare the cabin for arrival at 18,000 feet instead of 10,000 feet. This means that in-flight drink and snack services will end about 10 minutes earlier than it currently does. The change in procedure was made to “reduce the risk of in-flight turbulence injuries” for crew members and passengers, Southwest said in a statement.
Then on Jan. 1, Southwest (NYSE: LUV) will update its rewards program so members who use a combination of cash and points to purchase a ticket can earn points on the cash portion. Plus, the cash portion will also earn tier qualifying points for A-List or A-List preferred status on the carrier, as well as Companion Pass qualifying points.
A spokesperson for Southwest said that the change comes amid the company’s effort to “reimagine” the customer experience. At the airline’s Investor Day on Sept. 26, CEO Bob Jordan shared a three-year plan to improve Southwest’s financial performance including enhancements to its rewards program.
Then in April, Southwest plans to reduce its number of flights between the islands of Hawaii. The most drastic reduction would be a drop in the number of weekly flights from Honolulu to Kahului from 77 to 55.
Honolulu to Lihue and Honolulu to Kona will also see cuts, dropping from 42 to 34 weekly flights each. Southwest began flying to Hawaii in 2019, putting it in competition with Hawaiian Airlines.
Flights from Honolulu to Oakland, California, will scale back from two to one per day, as well as Kahului to Oakland. But Southwest said it would increase service from Honolulu to Las Vegas from one to three daily flights beginning in June. Routes from Kahului to San Jose, California, will also be increased from two to five per week.
Southwest is coming to the end of a turbulent year after a protracted fight with activist investor Elliott Investment Management LP. The two sides reached a deal in late October that included a remade board and the departure of chairman and former CEO Gary Kelly.
Also coming in 2025 are Southwest’s first redeye flights in February and as well as the introduction of assigned seating and premium seating. However, Jordan has vowed not to change the company’s policy of allowing customers to check their first two bags for free after a study found that eliminating the policy could elicit financial risk.