Horrible News For People Flying Out Of New York

Everything is expensive these days.  Even things that used to be free are going to cost you if you're traveling by plane this summer.

One of the greatest things about flying with Southwest was that you didn't have to pay for checked bags. Their current policy for checked baggage allows for two free checked bags.

"Each Customer is allowed two free checked bags¹. Golf bags² and skis³ count toward your free checked bag if they are within the weight limit." - Southwest Airlines official baggage policy

That's not going to be the case soon. The airline announced that a new policy will go into effect starting on May 28th.

They used to allow up to 2 free checked bags per ticket and both of those free bags will be going away.  Some people are asking why they didn't just raise their airfare, or drop it down to just 1 free checked bag.  As you would guess, they're hoping to raise their revenue and thought this would be the best way to do it.

Reuters claims that the new policy could raise Southwest's revenue by $1.5 billion annually, but that's assuming that people will still choose Southwest if they have to pay extra for bags.  By the looks of some of the responses on X, that might not be the case.  Many seem to be ready to look around at other options.

There is still a way to get free checked bags on Southwest though

They did announce that they will still offer 2 free checked bags to people who are enrolled in its Rapid Rewards A-List members traveling on Business Select. However, to become an "A-List member" you'll need to book 20 qualifying flights or rack up 35,000 qualifying points in a single year.  It won't be easy and will probably cost you more than what it will cost to just pay to check your bags.