South West Airlines offered bonus frequent flyer miles to customers affected by the carrier’s recent widespread cancellations and ongoing lost baggage issues as it tries to restore its damaged reputation.
In an email to customers on Tuesday and obtained by FOX Business, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said the offer of 25,000 Rapid Rewards points worth more than $300 was a “goodwill gesture.” , asking recipients “please accept my personal apologies”.
Southwest pointed out in an email to FOX Business that the bonus points are in addition to customer refunds and refunds on flights and incidentals related to their recent travel disruptions. The company also noted that the offer was sent to customers whose flights were due to operate between December 24 and January 2 but were canceled or significantly delayed by more than three hours.
“I know that no excuse can undo your experience,” Jordan wrote in the customer offer. “For those who have requested refunds, refunds, and/or are waiting to be reunited with lost bags, these processes are being handled with great urgency, and we appreciate your patience.”
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Apparently, customers were quick to accept Southwest’s offer. Several complained on social media about the long wait times in line to redeem the points, pointing to a post on Southwest’s website saying it was “experienced high traffic volume and used a virtual queue to limit the number of users on the website at the same time. .”
One tweeted: “Hey @SouthwestAir, I appreciate your Rapid Reward bonus points gesture email sent today, but I now have Christmas airport. [post-traumatic stress syndrome] through your website as well.”
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Others expressed their gratitude for the gesture, saying Southwest had been sensitive to their travel issues.
“So @SouthwestAir, in addition to reimbursing the cost of our flights, giving us each $150 vouchers for future travel and reimbursing the $495 it cost to ship the car we borrowed to get back to Las Vegas just sent out an email rewarding each of us with 25,000 loyalty points!” wrote another Twitter user. “Glory!”
Southwest canceled more than 14,500 flights between December 23 and 28 after operations collapsed following a Christmas weekend stormleaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports over the holidays.
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The airline has since restored its normal schedulebut he is still working to reunite many customers with luggage moved during the fiasco.
“Given the scale of the disruption, this is taking a little longer than normal,” Southwest told FOX Business on Tuesday.
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