Southwest Airlines is offering a pretty impressive perk to people with travel plans in the first quarter of next year.
The carrier has announced a promotion that will let passengers bring along a companion for (nearly) free. First, though, they’ll have to book and complete a flight in a relatively short turnaround time.
The Companion Pass will let customers bring along a friend or family member on an unlimited number of flights between Jan. 8 and March 8, 2024. All they’ll have to pay is taxes and fees, which start at $5.60 one-way). To earn that, they’ll have to register for the promotion, then book a round trip ticket (or two one-way flights) before 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30 and travel before Sept. 30.
(Customers must be members of Southwest’s Rapid Rewards program and include their Rapid Rewards number during booking.)
It’s a narrow window, but a notable reward. Generally, companion passes are only offered to people who fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 points during the calendar year.
"We want our customers to feel appreciated for flying with Southwest, and what better way to do that than to offer the opportunity to travel and share experiences with a companion," said Jonathan Clarkson, Vice President Marketing at Southwest Airlines in a statement.
Travelers aren’t locked in with the same companion every flight, either. Southwest will allows them to change the name up to three times during the promotional period.
Southwest is the only airline offering an extended free companion pass right now, but other carriers have been incentivizing frequent flyers with unlimited flight passes recently. Frontier Airlines has been particularly aggressive with those, cutting the price to $399 at one point.
