For $600 One-Way, Southwest Should Offer Business Select Passengers Access to Contract Lounges
I actively avoid Southwest Airlines. I’m based out of St. Louis so I’m no stranger to Southwest Airlines. They have a fantastic business model and are the beloved airline of many Midwesterners. Friends, family, and co-workers ask me all the time, “Why do you fly American and Delta? You can just fly non-stop with Southwest Airlines!” That’s true; I have very few non-stop options out of St. Louis on American and Delta compared to Southwest Airlines. However, I don’t mind a connection or two if it means I’m saving money. Though Southwest Airlines would have you think they’re one of the least expensive options out there, they’re far from it.
In St. Louis, Southwest is usually hundreds of dollars more expensive than American, Delta, United, and Frontier. To prove this, I’ve provided some example fares for next week to popular destinations. I picked Wednesday the 31st of May and used Google Flights and Southwest.com to search for flights.
The first flight I looked for was St. Louis to Phoenix; $140 on Frontier or $259 on Southwest. The second flight I had a look at was St. Louis to San Francisco: $114 on Delta or $308 on Southwest. Finally, I had a look at St. Louis to Seattle; $231 on American and $312 on Southwest. Sure, you get one free checked bag with Southwest, but I don’t check a bag, I only have carry-on luggage. Bear in mind all of the fares I quoted for Southwest were “Wanna Get Away” fares. Southwest Airlines offers two additional fare options, one being Business Select.
The few times I’ve been forced to fly Southwest, I’ve always purchased Business Select fares. Not because I wanted to, but because Wanna Get Away and Anytime fares were unavailable. Benefits for Business Select passengers are scarce. Business Select fares earn passengers double the amount of Rapid Rewards Points compared to the Wanna Get Away fare. That’s fantastic if you’re a Rapid Rewards loyalists. Business Select passengers also receive Group A boarding, get a free drink on each flight, and maximum flexibility. That’s fantastic but just how much more is Business Select? $50, $75 $100, $150, more? Try, $300 to $400 more. That’s where I take issue with Southwest’s Business Select fare.
I’m not going to lie, I try my best to avoid the stress of waiting for an upgrade to clear so when I can afford it, I buy first class tickets. I know, I should be ashamed of myself. I do this because the fare difference between economy or main cabin and first class on most domestic flights is less than $300. That’s not the case once you get to transcontinental flights, but for short or medium haul flights, it’s usually the case. For the St. Louis to Seattle example I mentioned earlier, it’s just $200 more for first class on American and $170 more on Delta. The cheapest first class fare is $397 from St. Louis to Seattle on the 31st. That’s far from the cheapest I’ve seen first class fares on that route. However, let’s say that you want to fly with Southwest Airlines in Business Select. The cheapest fare from St. Louis to Seattle on May 31st in Business Select is $613!
On American and Delta, you’ll earn more miles, receive priority security and boarding, free bags, a free meal, and free drinks. Compared to Southwest’s extra legroom, free drink, and double points, American and Delta’s first class fares are much more desirable.
It dawned on me as I was talking with a co-worker about the new common use airport lounge at St. Louis-Lambert Airport in the airport’s Terminal 2, where Southwest Airlines operates that the airline could take one step to increase the attractiveness of the Business Select fare. Allow passengers flying on Business Select fares to access common use aka contract lounges. At airport throughout the US, there are contract lounges unaffiliated with any airline that will partner with international carriers to provide a lounge for premium class passengers. Additionally, some international airline lounges go unused throughout the day due to flight schedules. Why not grant the few passengers on Southwest who purchased Business Select fares access to those lounges?
The lounges I’m talking about include lounges in the Lounge Club network and often partner with Priority Pass. These lounges feature basic amenities and allow passengers from any airline to purchase day passes. Why not make the Business Select fare worth the price and offer passengers access to contract lounges?
I understand. Southwest is a no-frills carrier. They don’t feature first class for a reason. However, I just can’t help but wonder how Southwest Airlines can charge so much for Business Select and offer almost nothing in return?
Overall
Maybe I’m missing the point of the Business Select fare and Southwest’s business model altogether. To me, offering something as small as lounge access really makes the journey more enjoyable. Offering contract lounge access to Business Select passengers could also be used as a selling point to passengers that would otherwise go with the mid-tier fare option, “Anytime.” There are certainly issues that come with offering business select passengers lounge access. However, I think it’s an interesting idea.
What do you think about this idea? Does charging $613 for Business Select make sense?
Time is money…taking a connection when you can go direct for a few bucks more is insane. Dropped AA last year and haven’t looked back. I fly almost every week and despite not having a first class upgrade option like AA with my Plat status, SWA flexibility and service make up for it. Out of Omaha, SWA is cost competitive and the miles are actually usable. Yea, the business select fares are stupid, but you’re paying more based on demand and timing versus perks. Delta on the other hand has been fabulous the past few trips…would consider flying them more if not for the limited options out of OMA.
The trade-off among time, comfort, and expense will be different among different customers. You enjoy flying “up front”, so you are willing to take longer flights and connecting flights to do that. And for the particular routings you checked, that also gives you savings.
Others have pointed out that you didn’t consider Southwest “sales”, and you chose a future date that is a sweet spot for some carriers but not Southwest. Also, Southwest flights are much more flexible than the flights you compared them to, with changes and cancellations fully credited toward future bookings. Finally, Southwest’s frequent flyer program gives more points than the other revenue-based programs. On Wanna Get Away fares, Southwest gives 6 / 8.4 / 12 points per dollar of spend for non-elite, low-elite, and mid-elite status, respectively. Delta, United, and American each give 5 / 7 / 9 points per dollar.
Southwest’s Business Select gives twice as many points and is fully refundable. Fully refundable tickets on other airlines are not usually cheaper than Southwest’s Business Select fares. With mid-elite status on Southwest, about a third of the price of a Business Select ticket is returned in FF miles.
And for high-elite status, Companion Pass gives nearly free tickets to your travel companion.
Great post that hits the nail on the head. Many people prefer comfort over cost. With lounges and first class upgrades, the big 3 are a better choice for many. On SW you could fly 100 flights a year and will never get a free upgrade to a comfortable 1st class seat. That said, the more the big 3 shift to a revenue based model that downgrades people like me who fly a lot of short haul domestic flights, the less rewarding it is. If SW had 2 cabin configurations, I would switch to them in a heartbeat.
A few thoughts:
1) It is well known that WN flights can offer a great value when purchased further out or on sale (which are far more frequent than on other airlines), but WN’s last minute (7 days out after a holiday weekend) fares are far more expensive than their competitors.
2) your sample size of only a single date and single origin airport doesn’t do your argument justice. Period. Whether or not you’re correct is irrelevant because you didn’t prove your point.
3) all the lounges shown (the CLUB, not the lounge, btw) can be accessed via PP. And everyone and their mother now has PP.
4) No judgment at all, but if you’re already spending $200+ per flight for a three hour upgrade to first while a teenager, your flying habits/needs are likely different than most of the points and miles crew. Just a thought!
Took the words right out of my mouth.
Very few ways to earn elite status on US airlines if you don’t actually spend and fly. I use points and miles for international trips.
I agree I guess but Southwest does have it’s perks like free checked bags, business select also gets better A boarding position, etc.
Didn’t know you are based in STL. I moved from there a couple years ago JUST as AA closed the MCI lounge where I moved to and updated the STL lounge 🙁
I think this is pretty arbitrary. WN doesn’t have lounges, and no other airline allows lounge access on domestic itineraries other than JFK-LAX and the like.
The problem is that Biz Select passengers — as it stands right now, get no amenities and pay twice the price.
Well you get earlier boarding and more points. Essentially
buying Business Select is buying full-fare coach
I completely agree, but no-frills is no-frills. Southwest isn’t going to incur the expense of lounges, especially when their business model is focused on lower cost, smaller airports that often don’t even have lounges.
I have heard they have flirted with the idea of a nice lounge at Love field
United doesn’t offer lounge access for Business travellers why should Southwest?
Because for the same price as business select you are getting an assigned first class seat, unlimited alcohol, priority boarding, priority security, priority checked luggage and their miles can be used to fly to places around the world on UA.
You’re actually spot on. Biz select passengers pay twice what First Class passengers pay and get none of the amenities. WN needs to address this.
I would say business select is usually about the price of fully refundable on United. Business/First is a good 30-50% more.
If SW built up a lounge network I might consider going back to them. However, I also fly out of STL and the experience with SW is almost always horrible. SW flights are always more crowded, have more crying kids, and more obnoxious passengers then AA or Delta. This combined with the much longer lines they have in TSA Pre make is easy choice for me to fly AA. The one thing SW does better than AA and Delta is give you more value out of your miles. AA and Delta miles are worthless compared to SW miles.
The problem with southwest miles is that it is only good for southwest flights. Which means no globe trotting not even Hawaii and definitely not spoiling yourself and family with first class seats. They are a great value only if you need to get around the lower 48 without black out dates and don’t mind being late. It’s the greyhound of the sky. AA and Delta miles have gotten me international first class and business class tickets to China and Taiwan which Southwest miles are literally worthless for.
I agree, which is why I only fly SW a few times a year and opt for AA. 2 points though, SW miles are more valuable than AA or Delta miles at redemption time. Its not even close, probably at least 2.5x or more. Second point, is SW has routes to the Caribbean not just the lower 48.
There is history as to why us domestic trips don’t offer lounge access. Read http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/08/09/heres-us-airlines-charge-lounge-membership/