I’ve been a huge fan of Southwest Airlines for decades. I live near BWI Airport and fly Southwest for almost all my flights. In the last ten years, I’ve probably flown on another airline fewer than once a year.
Their recent business decisions, mostly pushed by the hands of Elliott Investment Management, have made me rethink our relationship. It’s making many people rethink their relationship with Southwest.
And competing airlines are pouncing at the opportunity.
Airlines often offer status matching to try to win your business. This part is not new.
What is new is how aggressive they’ve become and here are what other airlines are offering.
Table of Contents
American Airlines
American Airlines’s Status Matching program, called Instant Status Pass, gives you complimentary matching status for 4 months with the ability to extend it until the next membership year if you meet all the goals. You can’t have participated in the Instant Status Pass program in the last two years.
Proof of status can be a screenshot of your Rapid Rewards account summary showing your first and last name, status expiration and Rapid Rewards number.
To extend your status, you need to meet Loyalty Point goals which are listed on the status match terms and conditions.
- A-List gets you AAdvantage Platinum®
- A-List Preferred gets you AAdvantage Platinum Pro®
👉 Learn more about this status match program
Delta
Delta’s Status Matching program gives you a complimentary matching status for 90 days with the opportunity to extend it if you complete the “challenge.”
For a limited time, through 9/30/2025, Southwest A-List and A-List Preferred Members can get a higher Medallion Status when they enroll.
First, you can’t have enrolled in the match program anytime in 2022 through 2025. Next, you will need to be a SkyMiles Member for at least 30 days and flown at least one flight higher than Basic Economy in the last year. You will need proof of status, which can be digital or physical, which includes a statement that shows you earned it and what you needed to do to get it.
- A-List gets you Gold Medallion Status
- A-List Preferred gets you Platinum Medallion Status
👉 Learn more about this status match program
United
The United MileagePlus Premier status match challenge is back, as of January 2025, but they didn’t change anything as a result of Southwest’s announcements. With the status match, you get complimentary status for 120 days after you complete an Activating Flight.
You have to complete the flight within 90 days of submitting your documentation and then you will get the match for 120 days. There are additional ways to count an activating flight but I leave that you to you if you pursue this.
You can keep the status by matching flight and point accumulation goals, also listed on the matching page.
You can’t do this if you’ve done the match program within the last 5 years.
- A-List gets you Premier Silver
- A-List Preferred gets you Premier Gold
👉 Learn more about this status match program
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines isn’t offering a status match but they are offering perks for anyone flying with them on flights departing May 28th through August 18th. May 28th is clearly a dig at Southwest, as flights booked after that date will no longer get their two bags checked free.
Frontier Airlines is giving everyone a free checked bag plus the Economy Bundle, which includes seat selection and no change/cancel fees.
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About Jim Wang
Jim Wang is a forty-something father of four who is a frequent contributor to Forbes and Vanguard’s Blog. He has also been fortunate to have appeared in the New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Entrepreneur, and Marketplace Money.
Jim has a B.S. in Computer Science and Economics from Carnegie Mellon University, an M.S. in Information Technology – Software Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as a Masters in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University. His approach to personal finance is that of an engineer, breaking down complex subjects into bite-sized easily understood concepts that you can use in your daily life.
One of his favorite tools (here’s my treasure chest of tools, everything I use) is Empower Personal Dashboard, which enables him to manage his finances in just 15-minutes each month. They also offer financial planning, such as a Retirement Planning Tool that can tell you if you’re on track to retire when you want. It’s free.
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank or financial institution. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
