Southwest Airlines positions itself as a different class of airline by having the most generous frequent flyer program of all major carriers.

Southwest Airlines is the nation's leading, and largest, low fare airlines. Southwest Airlines positions itself as a different class of airline by having the most generous frequent flyer program of all major carriers. Southwest Airlines marketing campaign emphasizes the company's role in keeping fare prices down and its quality of service. This strategy is already being imitated by other airlines, such as Continental, United and Delta, which have been forced to bring their prices down …

…the first airline with a frequent flyer program to give credit for the number of trips taken, not just the number of miles flown, and also pioneered senior discounts, Fun Fares, Fun Packs, a same-day air freight delivery service, ticket less travel, and many other unique programs. Despite an industry wide downturn resulting from the lagging US economy and exacerbated by the September 11 terrorist attacks, Southwest managed to post a profit for 2001 as well as 2002.