Final boarding call for free bags at Southwest as airline abandons a cherished perk

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer It s the last day to book a flight on Southwest Airlines without being hit with a fee to check bags after the airline abandoned a decades-long luggage approach that executives once described as key to differentiating the budget carrier from its rivals Related Articles US consumer confidence rebounds after five straight months of declines amid tariff anxiety Northwest Minnesota newspaper closures like a death in the family Wall Street s roller-coaster ride whips back upward after Trump pauses more of his tariffs Will your credit card work abroad Business People Longtime NAMI Minnesota executive director to retire The airline released the change in March saying at the time that the the new procedures would start with flights booked on Wednesday Southwest revealed Tuesday that it will be charging for a first checked bag and for a second checked bag Weight and size limits will apply for bags Southwest had built years of advertising campaigns around its strategy of letting passengers check up to two bags for free Under its new plan people who haven t either reached the upper tiers of its Rapid Rewards loyalty operation bought a business class ticket or hold the airline s credit card will have to pay for checked bags Southwest will continue to offer two free checked bags to Rapid Rewards A-List preferred members and customers traveling on Business Select fares and one free checked bag to A-List members and other select customers Passengers with Rapid Rewards credit cards will receive a credit for one checked bag People who don t qualify for those categories will get charged to check bags The airline noted in March that it also would roll out a new basic fare on its lowest priced tickets when the change takes effect The airline estimated in September that charging bag fees would bring in about billion a year but cost the airline billion in lost business from customers who chose to fly Southwest because of its generous baggage allowance Another framework that will take effect on Wednesday is Southwest requiring passengers to keep their portable chargers in plain sight while using them because of concerns about the growing number of lithium-ion battery fires These aren t the only changes at Southwest The Dallas airline previously reported that it was leaving behind another Southwest tradition the open-boarding system it has used for more than years Southwest expects to begin operating flights with passengers in assigned seats next year The airline also mentioned last year that it would charge customers extra for more legroom and offer red-eye flights Southwest has struggled in the past few days and is under pressure from activist investors to boost profits and revenue The airline reached a truce in October with hedge fund Elliott Capital Management to avoid a proxy fight but Elliott won several seats on the company s board The airline stated in February that it was eliminating jobs or of its corporate workforce in the first major layoffs in the company s -year history Shares of Southwest Airlines Co rose at the opening bell Tuesday along with other carriers in an up day for the sector