After my trip last week to Nashville, I was awarded A-list status from Southwest. What does this mean? I get to go through a special security line at some airports, 25% bonus on points earned, priority standby, a dedicated check-in and phone line, and most importantly….. priority boarding! So basically it’s just like being Gold with American Airlines. Which is great, especially as I don’t feel like I flew Southwest that much this year.

They recently changed their reward programs, so that now you can get status (and free flights) by either flights or points. The thing that’s cool (or at least, that I think is cool) is that you get points not based on length of flight, but how much the flights cost. Even though I only flew Southwest maybe 10-15 times this year, my travel isn’t determined until a week or two prior, so the flights were more expensive and I got more points.

Next step? Companion pass.  DealsWeLike wrote a post that got me all fired up about the Companion Pass, so I will definitely be looking for ways to get that next year. Basically, after 110,000 points you get one, and any flight that you buy one ticket on, you can have your companion fly with you for free. Doesn’t matter if the ticket was paid for or a reward ticket, or if you purchase it on their website or you go through your company travel agent. Chase has a regular 50k point bonus for card sign up, so I will be on the lookout for that in the new year. Another cool thing? You don’t redeem the 100k points for your pass—you still have them to use toward reward tickets. Awesome!

(As a bonus to A-list, Southwest sent me this nice luggage tag with my name and Rapid Rewards number on it. Nice!!)

A story from Yahoo that is very sad, but at least leaves you with hope for humanity.

Recently, a grandfather was trying to make it to Denver to say goodbye to his grandson before they took him off life support. Security delays were going to cause him to miss his connection, and no amount of pleading would make the TSA agent fast track him through. Once he made it through security, finally, he ran in his socks to the gate, even though his plane was supposed to have taken off several minutes ago. When he reached the gate, the pilot and gate agent were waiting for him.

“Are you Mark? We held the plane for you and we’re so sorry about the loss of your grandson,” the pilot reportedly said. “They can’t go anywhere without me and I wasn’t going anywhere without you. Now relax. We’ll get you there. And again, I’m so sorry.”

The flight ended up departing 12 minutes late. I’m sure there was a little grumbling, but 12 minutes isn’t really that late in the grand scheme of things. I hope no one missed a flight due to this, but you know what? I think it would have been worth it. I would gladly have missed a connection to allow this man a chance to say goodbye to his grandson. And it’s incredibly touching that this pilot made it possible for him.

The Home Warrior recently sent me an article, saying, “You probably need to see this…..” He was right. Wow, was he right.

According to MSNBC, experts are forecasting a rise in airline fees for 2011. As in, they are going to start charging us a la carte for even more items than ever before. It’s not enough that we pay for checked bags, choosing our seat, food, pillows, blankets, talking to customer service people, etc. The fees that could be introduced this year will make us look back fondly on what used to be. Remember the furor over Spirit Airlines charging for carry-on bags? That could be the next step for major carriers. And allowing people to pay extra to board first (looking at you Southwest!!), and therefore get the first shot at the overhead space, is in effect the same thing and is already happening. You want to talk to an agent at the airport? Hand over your credit card.

According to this article, the global airline industry expects earnings from a la carte fees in 2010 to hit $22 billion. $22 billion!! I recognize that because I have Elite status on American I get out of a lot of these fees. But what about someone who travels for work once a month? They may not have status. How many businesses will curtail travel due to these extra fees, and how will that affect people’s jobs? I get that the airline industry is a tough one, and that for a long time the airlines have struggled to turn a decent profit. But isn’t there a line that shouldn’t be crossed? When do they start worrying about their passengers again?

I’m sure you have all heard by now that Southwest is buying AirTran. I don’t really fly AirTran very often, but according to David Kelley it should be a big win for business travelers. He basically says that all of the things we don’t like about AirTran (flight change fees, checked baggage fees) will go away.

AirTran currently charges for checked bags ($20 and $25), and ticket changes ($75). Once integrated, Southwest expects those fees to disappear and follow Southwest’s current policies (no change fee for tickets, and 2 free checked bags). In addition, Southwest expects seating to follow its current open seating process, unlike AirTran, which assigns seats. It will also eliminate AirTran’s Business class seating.

I just hope this doesn’t change the things I love about Southwest!! Knowing that the employees actually enjoy their job is refreshing.  For example, this morning while flying to Nashville the flight attendant had us laughing pretty hard while she did the security announcements.  And don’t forget about that guy that raps. I also enjoy their funny commercials.

Southwest, if you’re listening: don’t change! We love you the way you are.

Even though this was posted on Youtube over a year ago, this is the first time I’ve seen it. And I immediately had to post it so all of you can enjoy it as well. This is so great! I hope I fly on this guy’s plane sometime.

Happy Friday everyone!