Southwest Airlines Is Ending Its Beloved Free Checked Bags Policy

Southwest Airlines is scrapping another one of its longstanding, popular policies: free checked bags for all passengers.

The airline announced Tuesday that starting May 28, it will no longer automatically allow all passengers two free checked bags upon boarding, ending the hallmark “bags fly free” policy that has flown in the face of all other major U.S. carriers.

The decision follows Southwest ending its open seating policy, another popular feature among its most loyal customers, last year in a bid to boost revenue.

Customers who make bookings after the May deadline will have to pay for two pieces of checked luggage unless they have the airline’s top loyalty status or purchase tickets for the airline’s most premium seating, Business Select.

Customers who use a Southwest credit card or book the airline’s second-most premium seating will receive one free checked bag, the airline said.

The airline is also putting expiration dates on its flight credits, a practice it eliminated during the pandemic.

Southwest did not immediately reveal what it would charge customers for their checked luggage. A Southwest spokesperson told HuffPost, “Airlines are not permitted to speak in specific terms about future pricing, fares, fees.”

The airline was the last major U.S. carrier to allow free checked bags for all passengers. It had held the policy since its founding more than 50 years ago.

Ben Mutzabaugh, managing editor of the travel advice website The Points Guy, said he expects the airline to lose a lot of its loyal customers due to the changes, which make “Southwest suddenly like all the other airlines that it used to compete against.”

“People who went out of their way to fly the airline before are going to be much less inclined to do so now, I think,” he told HuffPost.

In addition to customers being put off by the loss of unique passenger perks, Mutzabaugh suggested that customers may also feel distrustful of the brand going forward. Southwest’s CEO had assured customers only last fall that he didn’t see the “bags fly free” policy changing.

“It’s the third thing customers look for after fare and schedule: Bags fly free, on us,” Southwest CEO Bob Jordan told CBS Newsin September. “Ninety-seven percent are people who are aware of our policies. So it’s a huge consumer advantage. So bags will absolutely fly free.”

“I think even for the most die-hard fans of Southwest, this is a tough pill to swallow,” said Mutzabaugh. “That loyalty, I think, is going to take a big hit from this.”

Airlines overall are currently grappling with a major drop in consumer spending and are reducing their growth expectations amid concerns about the economy.

American Airlines doubled its loss expectation on Tuesday for the first quarter, while Delta Air Lines cut its profit guidance in half, Bloomberg reported.

Elliott Investment Management, one of Southwest’s biggest shareholders, has been pushing to shake up the airline to revive its stock value. Critics have argued that the changes — like eliminating the free bag policy — strip Southwest of the identity that distinguished it from its competitors.

Last month, the airline laid off 1,750 workers — its first company-wide layoffs ever.

Mutzabaugh said he thinks the company still has some advantages over other airlines in that it has more extensive scheduling options depending on location.

“They’re big in some very important cities where their schedule may be the best or at least as good as competitors. So that’s an advantage that they’ll continue to leverage,” he said.

But without its unique passenger perks, he expects that longtime Southwest passengers will readily consider alternative options like American, Delta, United or Frontier, “if the fare and the price is the same or better.”

“Many of the things that were big value propositions for Southwest are gone,” he said.