Southwest Airlines Plans To Ditch Its Free Checked Bag Policy

Members of its A-List Loyalty program will be exempt from the new fees along with those traveling on business fare.

Southwest Airlines has announced more changes to come.

A few months ago the airline ditched its open seating policy and is now ending another one of its most recognizable perks.

Starting on May 28, Southwest will begin charging for the first and second checked bag, ending its free checked baggage policy.

Members of its A-List Loyalty program will be exempt from the new fees along with those traveling on business fare.

The free checked bags offer has been in place since the airline started 60 years ago with the carrier even trade-marking it with a “bags fly free” slogan as a key part of its advertising.

However, the company’s CEO said they have an “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.”

It is unclear just how much the airline will charge for checked bags at this time.