Southwest Charging For Bags

Well, we all wondered if Southwest charging for bags was the next shoe to drop. It took them all of a hot second! Just days after Southwest destroyed the value you get for paid flights they gut punched you right in your oversized suitcase. It is time to hop all aboard team carry-on or risk paying even more money for their often uncompetitive fares. That isn't all though, they are also coming after your ability to cancel flights for free. Yes, this is the much worse underbelly of today's announcement that everyone seems to be glossing over.

Bags No Longer Fly Free

I guess they will have to scrap all of those corny wanna get away and bags fly free commercials. A sunk cost that they hope to recoup in a matter of days now that Southwest is charging for bags. The good news is Southwest actually gave people a little reprieve this time around and announced it ahead of the change.

Southwest will start charging for baggage on May 28th. Any tickets purchased on that date and beyond will have to pay for their checked bags to fly. Can you imagine how fun boarding Southwest will be now! There are some exceptions to the new baggage fees rolling out though:

• A-List Preferred members will still get 2 bags free
• A-List members will get one free checked bag
• Southwest credit card holders will get one free checked bag

We are unsure if the credit card will cover multiple people on the same ticket like other airlines do. We also don't know what the fee will be for checked bags at this time.

Wanna Get Away Gets A Lot Worse

Southwest already nuked the earning rates of their Wanna Get Away fares to just 2 Rapid Rewards points per dollar. They weren't done destroying what is the most popular fare class though. They have instead made Wanna Get Away the new Basic fare class of Southwest, and named it – you guessed it – Basic. The new rebranding includes some horrible cancellation terms added in for fun. Yes, the airline that used to be lightyears ahead of the market in terms of flexibility is now down on Frontier's level. Just without the cheap prices and all to go along with it…

If you book basic, the old Wanna Get Away fare, you will no longer have the ability to make changes to your flight. We are not sure at this point if that includes Rapid Rewards flights or not too. That is in stark contrast to why people loved the Southwest program in the past. Before covid they were the ONLY US airline that allowed flexibility and changes without fees. You also can no longer do same day changes, or standby, with Basic.

Flight Credits Expire

Southwest left no stone unturned and eliminated their flexible flight credit policy too. They will now have expiration dates depending on the fare class picked:

• Business Select – 12 months
• Anytime – 12 months
• Wanna Get Away+ – 12 months
• Basic – 6 months

How very low cost carrier of you Southwest. This appears to be changing on flights book on, or after, May 28th, 2025 too.

Is Southwest Now The Worst Airline In The US?

This is no doubt the final nail in the Southwest of old coffin. They have become just like everyone else and abandoned everything that made them a profitable airline everyone admired for decades. There still has to be some meat left on this bone though, right? RIGHT?!? Let's do a positive and negative list to see.

Southwest Positives

• Companion Pass (how long does this last?)
• Seat size
• Low fares at a few focus cities

Southwest Negatives

• Uncompetitive fares at non focus cities
• Worst earning rate in the industry for paid flights
• Bottom of the industry for affordable flight's flexibility
• Towards the bottom of the market in value of loyalty points / miles
• Bottom of the industry elite status perks
• Worst technology in the industry
• Lack of airline partners
• Limited routing releases that are in line with low cost carriers
• Limited international reach
  • Can't figure out how to bill in Canadian so no Canada flights
    • Sorry but this is so preposterous that I had to add it in. It also goes back to the technology point

Southwest Airlines used to the thread the needle between the big 3 and the low cost carriers. Now they took the worst parts of both and built their airline program off of it. I would say that Southwest is now the worst airline in the US in terms of value of the program. That is including flight costs, perks and what status offers you. I would rather fly Spirit Big Front Seat, for a fraction of the cost, any day of the week.

Southwest Charging For Bags: ToP Thoughts

Loyal Southwest flyers have had a rough couple of weeks. The good news, at least for non hub / focus city captives, is that you can vote with your money and fly elsewhere. It rarely makes sense for people to be loyal to one airline anyway. Unless you are a road warrior, and the company is footing the bill, then go with the airline that offers the best price and routing combination. If you are a road warrior, then it is time to see what real airline elite status gets you. Welcome to the world beyond Southwest!

As for Southwest as a company. You just destroyed every single spec of goodwill you built over a generation in the matter of a week. This is what happens when you let activist investors in the door. It is also why all of the top companies look the same, whether that is the airline industry or elsewhere. That is because they are all run by the same machine, and this limits innovation or risk taking. All they care about is their guaranteed returns, so they use the same tired playbook that worked elsewhere. We, the consumer, end up watching a race to the bottom unfold before our eyes because of it.

Share your thoughts on these changes over in the ToP Facebook Group.