Southwest Airlines drops free baggage policy, sparking concern among Texas travelers
Bags fly free no more at Southwest Airlines, a perk that has been one the big selling points for the company in its 54-year history. On Tuesday, a new page is being written as the airline goes through some turbulent changes.
"I'm sad," said one Southwest customer. "I mean, the reason that I chose them was because of the proximity to the airport, the value for the fare and the ability to bring two bags for free. Now, that's not the case anymore."
"The free bags have always been a reason to go southwest," another customer said. "I'm going to have to shop around now."
Travelers at Love Field shared feelings of love lost Tuesday. Many travelers said they flew Southwest because of the free checked bags, something that set the airline apart from its competition for more than half a decade.
"The short answer is that it's about securing our future. We're announcing changes to our business that will help us return to the levels of profitability we all expect," CEO Bob Jordan shared in a social media post Tuesday.
Only Southwest's Elite Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred members and passengers who book their top-tier Business Select fares will receive two free checked bags. Frequent flyer A-List Members and credit card holders will get one checked bag free. Everyone else will be charged per bag.
"Not shocked. Not doubt because we saw it coming since they changed the seating," traveler Julie Cadaver said.
The airline's decision comes after months of changes pushed by a group of outside investors, leading to the airlines doing away with open seating effective next year and announcing hundreds of layoffs last month.
"What do they want to be? What is their identity? That's the bigger question that Southwest has to answer," said Sriram Villupuram, a UTA finance and marketing professor.
Villupuram said the airline industry has struggled with increased labor and fuel costs and says the changes at Southwest can grow profit but shrink loyalty.
"Customers will question and say, 'okay, is the price that I'm paying worth [it]? It is somebody offering a cheaper price overall with tickets and bags?' So to me, I think it's a very, very hard decision that I think the new shareholders made," he said.
For Julie and Ray Cadaver, the free bags might be flying away, but their allegiance is here to stay.
"We'll probably stay with southwest because of like the convenience of getting to one place to another pretty quickly. So, I would say if it's one bag free, that's it. I would stay with it," the couple said.
These changes will take place May 28, right before the busy summer travel season and the fees will apply to any flight booked on or after that date as well.
