Why New Yorkers should take advantage of Southwest Airlines' lucrative Companion Pass deal

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• When you open a new personal Southwest credit card, you can earn the best-ever sign-up bonus offered for the cards: 30,000 points and a Companion Pass, which is valid for travel through 2019 (to earn the bonus, spend $4,000 on any eligible purchases during the first three months with the card).
• Despite its name, Southwest Airlines flies all over the United States, so there are plenty of opportunities to take advantage of the Companion Pass deal.
• New Yorkers, especially, tend to dismiss Southwest, but they might be surprised by how extensive the airline's service is from the city.
• You can learn more about the Companion Pass here. Our pick for the best Southwest card to open is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card.

Right now, Southwest Airlines and Chase are offering an incredible deal when you sign up for one of their co-branded credit cards.

Until February 11, new cardholders can earn a free Companion Pass for the rest of 2019, plus 30,000 miles when you spend $4,000 in the first three months.

The Companion Pass is basically a buy-one-get-one pass on airfare. You can pick a travel companion - a friend, a significant other, a child, or anyone else - and bring them along on any flight you take. They'll just have to pay taxes and fees, which start at $5.60 each way for domestic flights, and generally top out at $25-30.

As a New Yorker, I've typically focused on other airlines for my own travel. Southwest flies here, but certainly not as much as mainline carriers like Delta or United. Talking with friends about the Companion Pass deal, pretty much everyone expresses the same view.

However, this deal is so good that I decided to take another look at Southwest, and now I think the airline gets a bad rap among New Yorkers - it's actually a solid option for travel from the metropolitan area to all around the US, the Caribbean, and Mexico.

Here's what you need to know about flying Southwest from New York

Airports served and direct routes

Southwest serves three airports in the New York City area - La Guardia, Newark, and Islip, which is located on Long Island.

Admittedly, the airline only offers a handful of non-stop flights from New York City-area airports. However, with just one stop, you can fly virtually anywhere within the airline's route network. While a one-stop flight from a major market like New York might not appeal to everyone, it can definitely be worth it when you're using the Companion Pass.

Here are the direct routes (and layover airport options) from New York.

La Guardia:

• Atlanta
• Chicago (Midway)
• Dallas (Love Field)
• Denver
• Fort Lauderdale
• Houston (Hobby)
• Kansas City
• Milwaukee
• Nashville
• New Orleans
• Orlando
• St. Louis
• Tampa
• West Palm Beach

Newark:

• Austin
• Chicago (Midway)
• Denver
• Fort Lauderdale
• Nashville
• Oakland
• Orlando
• Phoenix
• San Diego
• St. Louis

Islip:

• Baltimore
• Fort Lauderdale
• Orlando
• Tampa
• West Palm Beach

Why fly Southwest from New York

The Companion Pass - with two-for-one ticket options - is reason enough to fly Southwest in 2019, but that's far from the only reason.

Even though Southwest is considered more of a budget airline, it has a lot of benefits that make it more unique than the competition.

The biggest benefit, especially if you're using the Companion Pass to book weekend vacations: no change fees.

Unlike Delta, United, and American, which charge $200 to make virtually any change to virtually every ticket, Southwest lets you make changes for free. While you might not be able to get a refund after you book the ticket, you can cancel a ticket and get the cost back as a flight voucher to use later.

Also unlike the other major US airlines: Southwest allows each passenger two free checked bags. One benefit of this is that more leisure travelers are willing to check their bags rather than try to bring them on the plane, so boarding can be smoother.

There are a few quirks. For instance, Southwest doesn't have seating assignments. Instead, everyone gets boarding preference, and can choose their seats when they board with their group. Some people love it, and some hate it, but this tends to work out well for families, since they can board with the earlier groups.

Bottom line

Despite its name, Southwest Airlines is actually a great option for New Yorkers. With the current Companion Pass deal, this presents a great opportunity to get two-for-one travel throughout 2019.

Click here to learn more about the Southwest Priority card from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.

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