Southwest Airlines will start charging most customers to check their bags on flights booked on or after May 28, abandoning its popular “bags fly free” stance and prompting an uproar on social media.
Until Tuesday’s announcement of the policy change, a customer’s first two bags were free, differentiating Southwest from its competitors.
Starting May 28, only customers flying on “Business Select” tickets and Southwest “Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred” members will get two bags checked for free. One free checked bag will be allowed to normal “A-List” members and Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cardholders will be credited the price of checking one bag.
Other changes will also be implemented, including how customers can earn Rapid Rewards points — more will be earned for the most expensive “Business Select” tickets, with less earned on other tiers of tickets. When redeeming points for tickets, the conversion rates also will change based on a flight’s demand.
The changes have left consumers to grouse on social media, with some questioning why to fly Southwest, now that it will no longer offer savings on baggage.
“Then what’s the point of flying Southwest Airlines? Its ticket prices generally are not cheaper. I have found them to be more expensive than other carriers, but Bags Fly Free would often bring the overall cost down below competitors. So much for that,” X user Ryan Peck wrote.
Another X user, Roger Baumgarten, wrote that he is a “Long-time @SouthwestAir fan (from BWI), and have their VISA card. Bags Fly Free was central to their brand/appeal. Not sure what differentiates them now. And for last-minute booking, we’ve found @united 1st class fares to be comparable.”
Southwest Airlines Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson told CNBC that “what’s changed is that we’ve come to realize that we need more revenue to cover our costs.”
The airline has been under pressure from activist investor Elliott Investment Management to maximize potential sources of revenue.
Charging for checked bags undoes previous statements from company leadership that the policy would remain untouched.
“Just to be real clear on ’bags fly free’ as a policy, I mean, we’re not looking at this point to change that policy. After fare and schedule, ’bags fly free’ is cited as the #1 issue in terms of why customers choose Southwest,” Southwest CEO Robert Jordan said on an earnings call in July.
Former company executives had warned that the consumer reaction to the policy change could outweigh revenue gains from baggage fees.
Ryan Green, formerly the airline’s chief transformation officer, wrote in an analysis in September that “the fact that free bags is a key driver of choice creates the risk that customers may choose the competition if we change the policy,” according to CNBC. He left Southwest in February.
Though Southwest charged for extra bags and overweight bags under its previous policy, it missed out on millions of dollars in revenue because of it. In 2024, Southwest made more than $62 million in baggage fees.
In 2024, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Spirit Airlines and United made more than $1.11 billion, nearly $788 million, more than $650 million and more than $1 billion in baggage fees, respectively, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Charging for checked bags is not the only recent reversal of a longstanding Southwest policy. Last year, the company announced that it plans to implement assigned seating in 2025.
