Question 1

What's the difference between a Buddy Pass and a Companion Pass?

Accepted Answer

A Buddy Pass is an airline-employee benefit that lets friends and family fly standby at deeply discounted rates — no confirmed seat. A Southwest Companion Pass is a Rapid Rewards benefit any customer can earn; it gives one designated Companion a CONFIRMED seat on every flight you book, for just taxes and fees.

Question 2

Which one is better?

Accepted Answer

For 99% of travelers, the Companion Pass. It's earnable by anyone, guarantees a seat, and works on every Southwest route. Buddy Passes only exist if you know an airline employee, and standby means you may not fly at all on busy days.

Question 3

Does Southwest have a Buddy Pass?

Accepted Answer

Southwest employees do get non-revenue travel benefits similar to buddy passes at other airlines, but those aren't available to the general public. The Companion Pass is what Southwest offers to regular Rapid Rewards members.

Question 4

Can I use both a Buddy Pass and a Companion Pass?

Accepted Answer

They're not related products — a Buddy Pass would be from another airline (or an airline-employee benefit at Southwest). Nothing stops you from using both across different trips, but they don't stack on the same flight.

	Buddy Pass	Companion Pass
Who it's for	Airline employees, retirees, and immediate family	Anyone who earns 135,000 Rapid Rewards points or 100 one-way flights per year
Cost	Deeply discounted, but standby only	Confirmed seat — pay only taxes and fees (~$5.60 each way domestic)
Confirmed seat?	No — space-available standby	Yes — confirmed at booking
How many people	Multiple buddies per year (varies by airline policy)	One designated Companion at a time, changeable up to 3× per year
Duration	Tied to employment or retirement status	Rest of current calendar year + all of next year (up to 24 months)
Airline	Most major U.S. airlines have some version	Southwest Airlines only

Buddy Pass vs. Companion Pass

Side-by-side comparison

FAQ