Southwest Airlines Bags Fly Free Policy Ends After 54 Years

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Southwest Airlines announces that their “bag fly free” policy has been set to end for their travelers.

This new policy is set to begin on May 28th, which is known for being the beginning of the summer season. Southwest announced that their most elite Rapid Rewards members and passengers who book the top-tier Business Select fares will receive two free checked bags. Frequent flyer A-List members and Southwest-branded credit card holders will be allowed once checked bag for free. Everyone else will be charged for their checked bag.

For the last 54 years, one thing that Southwest has been known for is having their “bags fly for free.”  Before this recent announcement, Bob Jordan, the airlines CEO, mentioned that they did not plan on getting rid of the free bags anytime soon. He made that announcement last September of 2024. When press asked him about the policy, he stated “Well, never say never. It’s like saying open seating will never change 20 years ago. Customer preferences change, but from everything that we see, there’s no reason to reconsider this at all, especially right now.” That was back in September.

The move comes as Southwest has been under intense pressure under investors to improve its financial performance. The airline has struggled to keep pace with changing customer preferences post-pandemic. Southwest recently announced its first ever layoffs, lauded their first red eye flights, and intends to end its long-running open seating policy next year. Instead, the airline planes to offer seating assignments and sell extra legroom seats for an additional fee.

Southwest is the last major U.S. airline to offer a basic economy product, which started to compete with ultra-low cost airlines such as Frontier and Spirit.