A Southwest Airlines flight near Los Angeles International Airport.

In the latest air travel developments, Southwest Airlines is making Rapid Rewards loyalty points a lot harder to earn for travelers who buy its lowest fares, and a bit easier at its most expensive prices; the Department of Homeland Security abruptly canceled its collective bargaining agreement with the union representing TSA officers; American Airlines starts testing free in-flight Wi-Fi and Alaska Airlines is reportedly considering a transition to Starlink Wi-Fi; American takes another stab at reviving its Northeast Alliance with JetBlue Airways by appealing the case to the Supreme Court; Avelo Airlines adds change/cancellation fees; Allegiant downsizes its operations at LAX; Frontier Airlines adds Washington state’s Paine Field to its network and plans a big expansion at Atlanta; Southwest adds a Sacramento-Mexico route and United Airlines is soon reviviving service to Israel; Delta Air Lines plans to introduce a route to Marrakech; Air India plans to add Los Angeles flights; Lufthansa debuts a new perk for air-rail intermodal passengers connecting at Frankfurt; and Delta expands the availability of Shake Shack meals for domestic first-class flyers. 

Aviation blogs are abuzz this week with changes that Southwest has quietly introduced for members of its Rapid Rewards loyalty program, altering the number of points earned for the airline’s four different fare types. Purchasers of the airline’s lowest fares — the nonrefundable Wanna Get Away fares — now earn just two Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent instead of the previous six; and those buying Wanna Get Away Plus fares now get six points per dollar instead of 10. The rate for higher-priced Anytime fares is unchanged at 10 points per dollar spent, while earnings on Southwest’s top-end Business Select fares have increased from 12 to 14 points per dollar. Elite-level bonus earnings remain at 25% for A-List members and 100% for A-List Preferreds.

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Employees sort luggage for Southwest Airlines flights at Hobby Airport Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, in Houston.

“Still, with the reduced rates for the two cheapest fare types, this means a top-tier A-List Preferred elite member who previously earned 2,400 Rapid Rewards points on a $200 Wanna Get Away fare (worth $32.40 by our March 2025 valuations) will now earn just 400 points, worth just $5.40 – a significant reduction,” the Points Guy’s Ben Smithson observed. “Anytime and Business Select fares are usually noticeably more expensive than Wanna Get Away fares. So, you'll need to pay more to earn points and enjoy other benefits like fully refundable fares, early check-in and priority airport services.”

One Mile at a Time said Southwest made the changes “with absolutely no advance notice,” beneath a headline that screamed, “Southwest Massively Cuts Points Earning, Slaughters Rapid Rewards.” According to One Mile at a Time’s Ben Schlappig, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this significant of a frequent flyer program change, whereby the most common fare sees a 67% reduction in points earning.” 

Big trouble could be brewing among the ranks of Transportation Security Administration officers at the nation’s airports after the Trump administration abruptly canceled the government’s collective bargaining agreement with the TSA workers’ union on Friday. While the administration has yet to impose mandatory job cuts on TSA, the unilateral termination of its union contract leaves the agency’s airport workers without a way to negotiate for improvements in salaries and working conditions. DHS, which oversees TSA and is now run by Trump appointee Kristi Noem, said in its announcement that getting rid of the union contract “removes bureaucratic hurdles that will strengthen workforce agility enhance productivity and resiliency, while also jumpstarting innovation.”

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