It's the end of an era
Southwest Airlines Is Making a Major Change to Its Baggage Policy—And You Won’t Be Happy
Published on Mar. 11, 2025
The times, they are a-changin’—especially for Southwest Airlines customers. Toward the end of 2024, the budget-friendly airline known for delivering big value for a low price announced the end of its open-seating policy in favor of assigned seats for the first time in its more than 50-year history. Then, it introduced premium seating, disrupting its traditional model of offering the same class of seating for all passengers.
Now, Southwest loyalists have one more big change to get used to, this time to the airline’s baggage policy—and chances are, you won’t be thrilled about it. So much for Southwest’s reputation for being the airline with the highest customer satisfaction!
Keep reading to find out the major shift coming to Southwest’s baggage policy and when the new rules go into effect.
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What change is Southwest making to its baggage policy?
Gone are the days of two free checked bags for all Southwest fliers. Once the new policy takes effect, only Southwest Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred Members and Business Select passengers will receive two free checked bags, according to a March 11 press release.
What about everyone else? Regular A-List Members will receive one checked bag for free, and all other passengers will have to pay for not only their second bag but their first bag too.
For passengers and families who relied on the two-free-checked-bags policy to make travel affordable, this change will come as an unwelcome surprise.
Why is Southwest making the change?
For the money, of course. Southwest loses tons of potential revenue every year by allowing passengers to check two bags for free—a service that fetches up to $100 per person at the airline’s competitors. Charging passengers for bags that were once free is a surefire way to increase profits for the airline.
“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 Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan.
Additionally, offering more valuable benefits to loyal Southwest customers makes the program feel elite and exclusive. The goal is for Southwest Airlines to make customers feel like their loyalty is being rewarded. But also, money.
When does the new policy go into effect?
The new baggage policy goes into effect on all Southwest flights booked on or after May 28, 2025. The good news is that if you’ve already got tickets booked for a Southwest flight, the airline will honor the two-free-checked-bags policy. If you’ve been waiting for the best time to book airfare to purchase tickets for your next trip, now is the time if you want to score those free checked bags on Southwest.
Are there ways to avoid the new checked baggage fees?
Despite this enormous change, there are still several ways to avoid the newly imposed checked baggage fees. For starters, being loyal to Southwest can pay off. As noted above, Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred Members will still receive two free checked bags, and regular A-List members will receive one free checked bag. To earn A-List Preferred status, you have to fly 40 qualifying one-way flights or earn 70,000 tier qualifying points in one calendar year. For regular A-List status, those numbers drop to 20 flights and 35,000 points. While it might be difficult for a casual flier to achieve A-List status, frequent fliers may be able to hit those targets and avoid paying baggage fees altogether.
If A-List status isn’t in your future, all is not lost. You can apply for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card, which earns cardholders a credit for one free checked bag on each flight.
And if none of those options apply, you can still pack for your trip in your carry-on luggage. Unlike several other airlines, Southwest still allows you to bring carry-ons on board for free—for now, at least.
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Sources:
- Southwest Airlines Investor Relations: “Southwest Airlines Outlines Changes to Drive Revenue Growth”
- CNN: “Southwest reveals when and how it will get rid of open seating”
