Associated Press
- Southwest Airlines is offering a companion pass to passengers who book a flight by Thursday, September 24 and fly by November 15.
- The companion pass, which is good from January 6 to February 28, 2021, lets travelers bring a guest for free, aside from $5.60 in taxes.
- The promotion is part of Southwest’s effort to bring passengers back onto planes during the pandemic.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Southwest Airlines is offering a rare incentive to get people back onto planes: its coveted companion pass.
Customers who book a flight by the end of September 24 and fly by November 15 will get a free companion pass, good for buy-one-get-one-free tickets between January 6 and February 28. Your flying buddy just needs to be on the same flight as you, and to pay $5.60 in tax.
Normally, scoring a companion pass requires racking up 125,000 qualifying points or taking 100 flights. Southwest also offered a companion pass in 2019 as a sign-up bonus for some of its co-branded credit cards.
This new offer comes as Southwest, like other airlines, struggles to attract passengers during the coronavirus pandemic. Travel demand at US airlines is down about 70% compared to this time last year.
However, even as business demand remains severely depressed, some passengers have been getting back into the air in recent months, mostly for vacation or to visit family and friends. So Southwest’s deal could present a good opportunity for travelers: Since most of January and February are included, both the long Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day long weekends would be covered, along with Valentine’s Day.
Just remember that you need to book by the end of Thursday, September 24 — that would be today — and travel by November 15 in order to get the deal.
You can find the full terms of the offer at Southwest's website.