Southwest Airlines changes baggage policy (and more)

[joelkfla]

Southwest is now just another airline. Got this email today:

Dear Joel,

Today we announced updates to some of our policies and benefits within our fare bundles. Sharing them with you is important to us, as we’re working to offer you more choices to create travel experiences that fit your needs.

Updates to Checked Baggage Policy

We will offer two free checked bags to Rapid Rewards® A-List Preferred Members and Customers traveling on Business Select fares. We will also offer one free checked bag to A-List Members and other select Customers. In addition, Southwest will credit one checked bag for Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers. All remaining Customers will pay to check their first and second bags, and we will continue to charge for the third and fourth checked bags. Changes will apply to flights booked on or after May 28.

Updates to Our Fare Bundles

We're updating the benefits of our fares bundles in phases. Whether you’re looking for a lower price with fewer perks, or more benefits for added flexibility, you’ll have the choice to pick what works best for your trip.

Phase 1: Beginning this month, we increased our Rapid Rewards earn ratio on our Business Select fares and lowered the earn ratio on our Wanna Get Away® and Wanna Get Away Plus™ fares. We will also begin to vary our redemption rates across our fare products on some high- and low-demand travel periods.

Phase 2: Beginning May 28, we will introduce a new Basic fare. This new Basic fare will be our lowest price point and will have less flexibility than other fares. Additionally, we will be adding expiration dates to our Flight Credits, which will vary based on which fare you choose to purchase.

The chart below gives you a full picture of the revised fare products as of May 28, 2025, ranging from most flexible to value-first.



We recognize these changes may be a disappointment to some, but know we’re committed to building a Southwest that will continue to offer you low fares, convenient flights to destinations you want, and a travel experience that is rewarding. You can count on the Heart of Southwest, our People, to guide you through the changes and welcome you on your next journey with their friendly, award-winning Customer Service.

With appreciation,

Bob Jordan
President, CEO, & Vice Chairman of the Board

 

[PaTrainFan]

Herb Kelleher is not rolling...he's spinning...in his grave.

 

[Brian Battuello]

Sad but inevitable. Spirit is also hanging by a thread.

 

[allanorn]

Sad but inevitable. Spirit is also hanging by a thread.

Spirit filed for Chapter 11 last September. Fortunately Southwest isn't that deep in the hole yet.

I'm not terribly happy with the recent changes as it transforms them into yet another legacy carrier. I get that two free bags is a luxury, but there needs to be something that differentiates Southwest in the market that would make me want to fly them over anyone else. Except for a few non-stop flights that are a nightmare on the other legacy carriers, there isn't going to be a compelling reason to fly Southwest any longer except if they can compete on price or schedule.

 

[Basil McTabolism]

Southwest is going through its own "Precision Scheduled Railroading" phase thanks to big new shareholder Elliot Investment. Nickel-and-diming the passenger is a page right out of Hunter Harrison's playbook. They have devalued the Rapid Rewards earning rate to try and drive more passengers towards the higher-priced tickets, as is eliminating free checked bags in the cheapest fare buckets. Unassigned seating will be going away either later this year or next year, so the desireable seats can be monetized as well. I am a longtime Southwest flyer and I really liked the unassigned seating. Pro top: Think of choosing your seat as a game; sometimes you lose but more often than not you win. Let the chumps get stuck in the middle seats.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I used to fly Southwest fairly regularly. Mainly because they were the dominant airline at my home airport with the most nonstop flights and many customer-friendly rules and workarounds. Several years ago Southwest added more rows to each plane and reduced seat pitch to the point that only exit and bulkhead seats could fit my legs. Lacking any way to reserve specific seats made Southwest essentially unusable to me. I do not disagree that most of the coming changes are net negatives but there are a few positives in the mix. Reserving seats with more pitch should be possible and I'm seeing Southwest flights show up on more aggregate booking sites for easier price comparisons. B2B aggregators have sold Southwest flights for many years but consumers had to buy direct which meant they often took whatever fare Southwest.com was offering instead of comparing to other airlines with cheaper fares on the same trip.

 

[NEPATrainTraveler]

Dang, Southwest’s bag policy was a big reason I ever considered them over the years. Between the bag policy and low prices, it was very tempting to fly out of NYC and go with Southwest instead of my local airport and going with United/American. Much less tempted to choose Southwest now.

 

[Literalman]

It says that with the Basic fare you can't get a refund but you can cancel (as I understand that chart). Imagine if you could not cancel.

 

[joelkfla]

It says that with the Basic fare you can't get a refund but you can cancel (as I understand that chart). Imagine if you could not cancel.

Yeah, you cancel, but no refund, and the credit is non-transferable & expires in 6 months.