My once-beloved @SouthwestAir is now just a credit card company masquerading as an airline; the only “winners” with the changes to formerly generous Rapid Rewards program are very heavy SWA credit card spenders. Actual flying business travelers like me with around 40 mostly short-haul SWA flights per year absolutely lose under this new Rapid Rewards system. And loyal SWA customers reliant on new credit card bonus games and similar maneuvers to earn a Companion Pass are now dead in the water. The “enshitifaction” effect is real, and Elliott Investment Management has succeeded in making Southwest Airlines into nothing more than a second-rate wannabe legacy carrier. The last vestige of SWA’s value proposition is that, at least in some markets, it still operates out of more convenient in-town airports like Dallas Love Field, Houston Hobby, and Chicago Midway. But those convenient airports are the only reason I can see to stick with Elliott Air.