Southwest hikes bag fees
- Southwest increased checked-baggage fees by $10 for both first and second bags on U.S. flights, to $45 and $55. - The $45/$55 pricing shift sparked customer backlash as travelers criticized the change from Southwest's low-fee image. - The airline is also rolling out perks and a new nonstop route to blunt fallout, according to The National and The Travel. ( )
Southwest Airlines has raised checked-bag fees on U.S. trips to $45 for a first bag and $55 for a second bag. (swamedia.com) The $10 increase took effect for reservations ticketed or voluntarily changed on or after April 9, 2026, Southwest said on April 7. A-List Preferred members and Choice Extra customers still get two free checked bags, and A-List members and some Chase cardholders still get one. (swamedia.com) Southwest had already ended its long-running “bags fly free” policy less than a year earlier, replacing it with paid checked bags for most customers. The new price move pushes the first bag from $35 to $45 and the second from $45 to $55. (usatoday.com) The fee change lands in the middle of a broader remake at the Dallas-based airline. Southwest began selling assigned seats and extra-legroom seats on January 27, 2026, ending the open-seating system that had defined the carrier for decades. (southwest.com) Southwest said the bag-fee increase came after “an ongoing analysis of the business” and cited an “evolving global backdrop.” Other airlines, including Delta, United and JetBlue, have also raised baggage fees as fuel costs climbed this spring. (swamedia.com) (nbcdfw.com) Customer reaction has been sharp online, with travelers telling news outlets the higher fees undercut Southwest’s low-cost image. The backlash has focused less on the $10 jump itself than on how quickly it followed the end of free checked bags. (thetravel.com) (usatoday.com) At the same time, Southwest is adding new perks aimed at higher-spending travelers. Chief Executive Bob Jordan said in December the airline was “actively pursuing” airport lounges, a step that would have been unthinkable under its old no-frills model. (cnbc.com) The airline is also expanding its map. Southwest launched daily nonstop service between Orlando and St. Maarten on April 7, 2026, its first service to the Caribbean island. (swamedia.com) (sintmaartengov.org) For travelers, the practical change is simple: checking two bags on a new Southwest booking now costs $100 unless you qualify for an exemption. For Southwest, the higher fees are one more sign that the airline is moving away from the policies that once made it an outlier in U.S. air travel. (southwest.com) (swamedia.com)
