March 11, 2025: Southwest Airlines is ending its free checked bag policy as of May 28, 2025. HT to Gary Leff and Stephen from Frequent Miler for spotting this change this morning.
What we know right now
- For tickets purchased on May 28, 2025 and afterward, Southwest will no longer include two free checked bags.
- If you purchase your tickets before May 28, 2025, they will still include two free checked bags.
- Customers having A-List Preferred status or purchasing Business Select® fares will receive two free checked bags.
- A-List customers and Rapid Rewards credit card holders will receive one free checked bag.
Why this is a strategic mistake
Many people think of Southwest Airlines as a low cost carrier. While the airline still (for the moment) enjoys this reputation, this hasn’t been true in practice for well over a decade. Here’s what has differentiated Southwest in the recent past:
- Culture. The people who work at Southwest largely genuinely enjoy working there. I’ve had flight attendants post and I see more crew-fies (selfies with the crew) posted on social media from Southwest crew and passengers than any other airline.
- More comfortable in coach. The airline offers more legroom in standard coach seats than any of the other U.S. legacy carriers. And, since people check luggage, there is usually plenty of overhead bin space.
- Free checked bags. A lot of people (myself included) like this convenience and the fact that we don’t have to get a credit card or pay through the nose for something that we’re used to getting for free on our primary airline means that Southwest gets to be the backup carrier of many frequent flyers.
- Operational efficiency. Southwest is able to board faster and turn planes around faster than any other airline. Part of this has to do with its open seating concept, but a lot of this has to do with the fact that people carry fewer bags onto Southwest planes.
- Unique routes and mini-hubs. The airline was able to carve out a niche in many routes that are underserved by the legacy airlines.
By cutting free checked bags out of the equation, Southwest undercuts one of its primary differentiators directly and two of them indirectly. Coach will be less comfortable because people will bring more bags into the cabin. And planes will take longer to board because people will stow their luggage in the cabin, slowing the overall process.
Yes, Southwest needs to change
Certainly there are some things that Southwest needs to change about its operation. Seat assignments are a good change—on almost every Southwest flight I’ve been on recently, I’ve passed rows upon rows of one person draping their stuff over an entire row of seats to discourage others from sitting there.
And the airline needs to make massive improvements in its IT infrastructure so that it can recover effectively from large-scale disruptions like weather, as evidenced by its Christmas meltdown.
But the right way to do this isn’t to race to the bottom and try to copy American Airlines.
Double down on the quirky culture. Train your customers to do things “the Southwest way” in ways that increase efficiency. Use a better boarding method than other airlines. Incentivize customers: “If we get this door closed 5 minutes early, everyone gets a $5 voucher!” Board through the rear doors as well.
There are plenty of ways to turn around the ship, but it requires leadership that is willing to dive deep into operations and customer behavior, rather than rely on “safe” strategy advice doled out by consultants. Frankly we need more airline executives to be more like Herb Kelleher.
The value of the credit cards just increased
Interestingly, taking away free checked bags increases the value that you’re going to get from the Southwest Airlines credit cards and it even gives the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card a reason to exist (beyond being the cheapest way to earn a Southwest sign-up bonus.)
Southwest has announced that all holders of its credit cards will get a free checked bag on Southwest flights. Now, we don’t yet know how much Southwest intends to charge for bags, but assuming it is in-line with what the Delta, American, and United charge, the cost of checking a bag both ways on a single trip might be almost what you pay in annual fees for the lowest-tier Southwest credit card.
Add to this the likely perk of some measure of free seat selection when Southwest moves to assigned seating, and it may make sense to get a Southwest credit card even if you take only one trip on the carrier each year.
How this changes my flying
The airline I fly most often is Delta. I’m Minneapolis-based and Delta has the most flights to the places I want to go at times that are convenient to me. I also have lifetime Gold Medallion status with the airline, which means that I get a free checked bag, regardless of whether I hold a Delta credit card.
I prefer to check bags on my flight. The reasoning for this is simple: It is much less hassle for me to check in a bag before my flight than to carry it through an airport (or two or three!) If someone else is willing to transport my stuff to my destination airport with no additional cost to me, I’m going to say yes. In addition, checking a bag allows me to take full-sized toiletries and it gives me the flexibility to bring home a gift like a bottle of wine.
Prior to this change, Southwest was my backup carrier of choice. Flying Southwest was less hassle for me than American Airlines because of the free checked bags. And, other than Sun Country, Southwest probably has the most schedule out of MSP and goes to domestic destinations I want to visit either directly or with an easy connection through Denver. Now, I’ll probably take American Airlines for trips where Delta is not convenient or too pricey. (I hold an American Airlines credit card, which gives me free checked bags on the airline.)
Bottom line: Southwest customers lose free checked bags on May 28, 2025
If you are a Southwest Airlines flyer, be aware that tickets purchased on or after May 28, 2025 will no longer include free checked bags. If you don’t have A-List Preferred status, aren’t flying on a Business Select ticket, or don’t have a Southwest Airlines credit card, you’re going to have to pay to check a bag.
