Southwest raises bag fee
Southwest Airlines raised checked-baggage fees by $10 starting April 9, which drives the first checked bag up to $45 and brings Southwest in line with Delta and others. (apnews.com) This change is being blamed on rising jet fuel costs tied to the war in Iran, so if you’re flying Southwest this spring or summer you now need to factor bag charges into your fare comparisons. (expressnews.com)
Southwest just made the bag you thought cost nothing cost $45, and it happened less than a year after the airline killed the free checked bags policy that used to define the brand. The new price started on reservations ticketed or voluntarily changed on April 9, 2026 or later. (swamedia.com) The second checked bag now costs $55, up from $45, and the increase is $10 on both the first and second bag. Southwest said the change came after an “ongoing analysis of the business” and an “evolving global backdrop.” (swamedia.com) This is a sharp turn for an airline that spent decades telling travelers “Bags Fly Free.” Southwest first started charging most customers for checked bags on May 28, 2025, ending one of the last big freebies in United States air travel. (cnbc.com) Now Southwest’s first-bag price matches Delta Air Lines at $45, after Delta also raised its checked-bag fees by $10 this week. United Airlines and JetBlue Airways had already moved earlier, so Southwest is no longer the outlier on baggage pricing. (cnbc.com) The pressure point is fuel. Industry reports this week tied the fee increases at Southwest and Delta to a jump in jet fuel costs after the Iran war pushed oil markets higher. (apnews.com) For travelers, that changes how you compare fares. A Southwest ticket that looks $20 cheaper than a rival fare can turn into the more expensive trip if you check one bag each way, because that adds $90 round trip before taxes on the ticket itself. (swamedia.com) Not everyone pays. Southwest says A-List Preferred members and Choice Extra customers still get two free checked bags, while A-List members and Rapid Rewards credit cardholders still get the first checked bag free. (southwest.com) The bag change lands in the middle of a much bigger rewrite of how Southwest sells itself. The airline also moved away from its old open-seating system, and assigned seating became bookable for travel starting January 27, 2026. (southwest.com) That means two old Southwest habits disappeared within about a year: first the free checked bags, then the seat scramble. What used to be the airline where you boarded early, grabbed any seat, and checked two bags for free now looks a lot more like the rest of the industry, just with its own fare bundles and loyalty carve-outs. (cnbc.com)
