Southwest Has a New Fare Class — and It’ll Allow Passengers to Transfer Flight Credits to Other Fliers

Transfers are one-time only and both people must be Rapid Rewards members.

Southwest Airlines is introducing a new fare class that will offer travelers more flexibility when booking — and even allows them to gift unused flight credits.

The new Wanna Get Away Plus fare, which will be available late in the second quarter of 2022, will allow travelers to take advantage of same-day changes and standby flights as well as earn 8 times the Rapid Rewards points, according to Southwest.

Travelers who book one of these tickets will also be able to transfer eligible unused flight credits to someone for future use. Transfers are one-time only and both people must be Rapid Rewards members.

“The airline industry, in our perspective, is a repeat purchase business. And a positive experience with a quality product brings customers back for the next flight,” Andrew Watterson, Southwest’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said in an address. “Because of that, we’re committed to a bundled product… The desired outcome here is to have four quality fare products with reasonable sell-ups in between and let the customer choose what fits their needs. But all the fare products are sufficient for travel.”

The new benefits are in addition to Southwest’s current perks like two free checked bags, no change fees, and free TV, movies, and messaging on board.