Southwest Airlines signaled the end of an era today with the announcement that it will begin charging passengers to check bags. The signature policy of fee-less checked bags has been in place for decades, setting the low-fare airline apart from rivals.
Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said, “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.”
It was less than 12 months ago that Southwest announced it would abandon another singular policy—the open-boarding process. It had been in play for Southwest for more than 50 years but will fade away in favor of assigned seating starting in 2026.
Pricing for the new baggage fee process was not announced, but the Dallas-based airline said baggage fees would begin with flights booked as of May 28.
