Southwest: So Long, Free Bags

The changes mark yet another departure for the Texas-based carrier’s passenger-friendly policies. Last year, Southwest announced plans to end open seating, which had been central to its brand image for more than 50 years.

The airline will begin charging for the first and second checked bag starting May 28; however, members of its Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred loyalty program or those traveling on a business fare will be exempt from the fee. The airline will offer one free checked bag to lower status A-list members. In addition, the carrier will credit one checked bag for passengers who hold its co-branded credit card.

“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,” said Bob Jordan, CEO of Southwest in a media announcement.

Besides the implementation of assigned seating, other changes at Southwest include extra legroom options and an initial industry-standard airline partnership with Icelandair that began on Feb. 13 through the shared gateway in Baltimore/Washington, allowing passengers to book itineraries through Icelandair’s website and third-party channels including travel on both carriers. Later this year, Southwest will add Nashville and Denver as shared gateways for the Icelandair partnership and continue to add gateways in the future. Southwest plans to announce at least one additional partner carrier this year.

Also on Feb. 13, the carrier’s first-ever scheduled overnight redeye flights were launched. Currently, Southwest operates five redeye flights, including Las Vegas (LAS) to Baltimore/Washington (BWI), Las Vegas (LAS) to Orlando (MCO), Los Angeles (LAX) to Baltimore/Washington (BWI), Los Angeles (LAX) to Nashville (BNA), and Phoenix (PHX) to Baltimore/Washington (BWI). By June 2025, the airline plans to increase that number to 33 daily redeye flights.