New York
CNN
—
Southwest Airlines has put a price tag on checking bags, a coveted free perk that is about to disappear as part of substantial changes the carrier is making to its service.
For flights booked on May 28 and after, checking the first bag will cost $35 and $45 for the second piece of luggage. If the ticket was bought prior to Wednesday, the customer will still receive two free checked bags, the company announced.
There are some exceptions, however: Members in the A-List tier of its Rapid Rewards loyalty program, holders of its branded credit card or those traveling on a business fare will be exempt from the charges.
Southwest’s fee are aligned with other carriers’ prices. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines all charge between $35 to $40 for the first checked bag. Others, like JetBlue Airways and Frontier Airlines, charge different fees depending on various factors including if it’s purchased online or departure date.
Southwest has always offered free checked bags since the airline started about 60 years ago and kept the policy in place when its competitors starting adding and increasing fees. In fact, the carrier has trademarked its “bags fly free” slogan, which has been a key part of its advertising.
Adding these fees will likely instantly boost its bottom line because Southwest has two to three times as many checked bags as other airlines.
Despite not charging for the first two checked bags, Southwest collected $83 million in baggage fees in 2024, according to Department of Transportation statistics. (Southwest charges $150 for a third checked bag and up to $200 for overweight luggage among other fees).
However, that is a fraction of the baggage fees collected by other airlines, with American collecting $1.5 billion in 2024, while United pulled in $1.3 billion and Delta garnering $1 billion.
Southwest has been under pressure to boost profitability since activist investor Elliott Investment Management took a $1.9 billion stake in the carrier last year. It has already announced that it’s ditching its open-seat policy in 2026 and retrofitting its planes with seats that have extra legroom for an additional charge.
Southwest said customers were clamoring for those changes. When people switch to a competitor from Southwest, the company said the top reason passengers cite is open seating. But the change will also help the company charge some passengers more for their tickets.
The airline has also changed the way it sells tickets. Traditionally it only sold them on Southwest’s website, but recently started sell them on Expedia to attract more customers.
Also beginning Wednesday, Southwest will start selling “basic economy” fares, which are low-priced tickets but with tons of restrictions. It’s a ticket type that’s replacing its famous “Wanna Get Away” fare and is becoming increasingly common among larger carriers to compete against low fares offered by budget airlines.
