After making headlines for its disastrous meltdowns, Southwest Airlines is improving its rewards program for loyal customers who’ve chosen to weather the storm.

In 2021, Southwest shot to the top of WalletHub’s list of most reliable airlines. But the carrier suffered a significant operations meltdown during last year’s holiday season. At its peak, Southwest was forced to cancel over 70% of its flights. And in April of this year, a “firewall failure” caused “data connection issues” and forced a brief ground stop. While Gizmodo and AirAdvisor rank Southwest higher among major airlines, WalletHub ranks the carrier worst overall for 2023. 

But starting Nov. 6, frequent flyers might be willing to forgive these past problems in exchange for two premium complimentary drinks once they board their Southwest flights. 

“With these new enhancements, we’re meeting our most frequent Customers where post-pandemic travel behavior finds them and aligning with the shift in our industry between business and leisure travel. We’ve worked on these enhancements for months to prepare for the 2024 qualifying year,” a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines wrote SFGATE in a statement.

Southwest’s Rapid Rewards program rewards frequent flyers by placing them in the A-List or A-List Preferred category. Both categories include perks like same-day change and standby, priority check-in and security lane access, a dedicated member phone line, and priority boarding, which is a major score on an airline known for its open seating policy.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, Southwest is making it easier to reach A-List status by requiring only 20 one-way flights, instead of 25, or 35,000 tier qualifying points. And A-List Preferred status will need only 40 one-way flights, instead of 50, or 70,000 tier qualifying points. 

Flyers who have any of the Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards will get 1,500 tier qualifying points for every $5,000 spent, instead of every $10,000. Beginning in the spring of next year, Rapid Rewards members will also be able to combine cash with points when paying for a flight for as few as 1,000 points.

U.S. News ranks Southwest Airlines’ rewards program as sixth overall but says it’s the best option for “budget-minded travelers based in the United States who frequently fly to major cities around the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.”

“At a time when some of our competitors are reducing or limiting benefits to their programs, Southwest is giving our loyal Customers even more reasons to fly with us whenever they travel,” the airline said.