If one thing gets in the way of people booking that much-needed vacation, it's the sheer cost of it.
That's one reason many people have opted for the budget-friendly Southwest Airlines when traveling domestically in the United States.
While a bit more modest than its major competitors, with its flights not including personal TVs or WiFi, their fares also tend to be considerably lower, greatly helped by the fact that, unlike almost all other airlines, they offer two free checked bags per customer.
Until now, that is.
The Dallas-based airline shocked its loyal customers this past Tuesday by announcing that it will end its free checked luggage policy at the end of the month.
The policy change was one of many changes made in the announcement, as part of the company's broader efforts to "reward the airline’s most loyal Customers and give all Customers more options for a broader range of travel experiences."
Southwest's President, Chief Executive Officer, and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors Bob Jordan went on to say:
"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.”
“We will do all this while remaining focused on what’s made us strong—our People and the authentic, friendly, and award-winning Customer Service only they can provide."
Based on reactions on X (formerly Twitter), however, Southwest's customers seem to feel like they were the last ones taken into consideration with these changes.
Indeed, Southwest travelers wasted no time at all in expressing their anger and shock at this new move.
The policy change is currently scheduled to go into effect for all flights booked on or after May 28, but it will still be possible to fly Southwest Airlines with free checked bags after this time.
That is, if you are one of Southwest's "preferred members."
All preferred members of Southwest's loyalty program, as well as any customers who buy "business select" fares will be able to check two bags for free, while all other members of the loyalty program, as well as customers who carry the loyalty program's credit card, will be able to check one free bag.
However, reaching "preferred" status might be a bit trickier than it seems, as the numerous changes announced on Tuesday included recalculating how Southwest will award points in its loyalty program.
Passengers who purchase more expensive fares will be rewarded more points than passengers who purchase cheaper fares.
The elimination of free checked luggage comes on the heels of several other changes Southwest implemented this past fall, including eliminating its open seating policy and implementing assigned seating, as well as "premium seating."
Southwest's financial problems in recent years have gained widespread attention, including being slapped with a $140 million fine by the Department of Transportation after an operational failure left over two million travelers stranded during the holiday season in 2022, as well as the company laying off over 15% of their corporate workforce last month.
Interestingly, when announcing many upcoming changes this past fall, one thing Bob Jordan all but promised would not change was Southwest's free checked luggage policy:
"We are passionate about those policies, in particular, two bags fly free."
"Not only because they're part of our history, ...but because our extensive data-driven research … shows that they are the right economic choice."
Indeed, the "two bags fly free" policy was reported to be among the top three reasons customers chose to fly Southwest over other airlines.
Beginning May 28, it will be interesting to see if any travelers will be able to come up with one reason to fly Southwest.
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