WOW: Southwest Will Start Charging For Checked Bags

With everything that has been happening at Southwest Airlines I can’t say that I’m surprised, but goodness, this is major.

Southwest has long been known for offering two free checked bags to all passengers, regardless of the fare they book. For tickets booked as of May 28, 2025, that will be changing:

• Southwest will continue to offer two free checked bags to Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred members, and customers traveling on Business Select fares
• Southwest will offer one free checked bag to A-List members, and those with a Rapid Rewards credit card will receive a credit for one checked bag
• Customers who don’t qualify for these benefits will be charged for both a first and second checked bag

Here’s how Southwest CEO Bob Jordan describes this:

“We have tremendous opportunity to meet current and future Customer needs, attract new Customer segments we don’t compete for today, and return to the levels of profitability that both we and our Shareholders expect. We will do all this while remaining focused on what’s made us strong — our People and the authentic, friendly, and award-winning Customer Service only they can provide.”

Stay tuned, I’ll have more shortly, but I’m just boarding a flight…