AirTran-Southwest get closer

After my last post about two divorces – Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries & Continental and Amtrak, I am happy to provide good news about a marriage – that of Southwest and AirTran. They merged recently and have taken the next step of bringing their Mileage programs together. Just like the other successful marriage of last year – United and Continental, Southwest and AirTran are still operating as separate airlines. What they have instituted is reciprocal matching of status in their programs. Now, being an Elite on either program is not something to write home about. But, it is better than nothing. Now A+ program Elites will have A-List status on Southwest and vice versa.

Here is an excerpt from an email they sent out earlier today:

One of our first steps in the integration of the A+ Rewards^® and Rapid Rewards^® frequent flyer programs was the introduction of the reciprocal tier matching program we announced on August 22nd. This program allows AirTran A+ Elite Members to receive Rapid Rewards A-List status for Southwest flights. Rapid Rewards A-List and A-List Preferred Members are also eligible to receive A+ Elite status to use when flying AirTran. The response to this offering has been strong and it’s the first step in bringing our two loyalty programs closer to one.

Southwest has also announced that they are starting service from Atlanta. The truth be told, access to Atlanta was the real reason Southwest married AirTran in the first place. And they call Kim shallow…

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