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All the Hacks · Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Southwest Companion Pass Expected to Remain Intact, with Potential for Increased Qualification Requirements

Despite industry-wide changes, Brian M believes the Southwest Companion Pass will continue to exist. He suggests that while Southwest might increase the qualification requirements for the pass in the future, they may hold off for a bit longer after significant recent changes to their product.

personBrian MpersonChris HutchinscompanySouthwest Airlines

The tape

4 quotes
Southwest, we were just at the beginning of Southwest rolling out the brand new Southwest. Well, how is the strategy going to work? You know how Southwest transformation is going?
Chris Hutchins
Frankly, I think it's going well. Better than many people may have expected. I think customers are adapting and using it and are generally satisfied after some tweaks they had to make, especially to boarding process. And I think the revenues are strong as well.
Brian M
My gut says it's here to stay. What do you think?
Chris Hutchins
I agree. I still think it's here to stay. They may increase the requirements for qualification next year.
Brian M
Heard on All the Hacks — “The New Rules of Points & Miles in 2026 with Brian M, published Wednesday, August 12, 2026. Heardvine summarizes and quotes with attribution and timestamps, and links to the original everywhere.
Transcribed via Gemini audio transcription · $0.07
Southwest Companion Pass Expected to Remain Intact, with Potential for Increased Qualification Requirements — Heardvine