Southwest Airlines is polling customers on scrapping free-bags policy

Southwest Airlines is surveying its customers asking whether the air carrier should change its current bag policy, where fliers can check two bags for free.

The airline is considering only allowing free bags on premium-priced tickets, which would end its status as the only major U.S. airline not to charge for baggage check-in.

The company has already announced another change to a longstanding policy differentiating Southwest from its major competitors, swapping out its open-seating system for assigned seats sometime in 2025.

Now, Southwest is sounding out its customers on its attractive baggage rules.

Part of a Southwest questionnaire sent to customers last week mulled a hypothetical system in which its cheapest “Wanna Get Away” tickets would only allow a personal item and carry-on bag for free, which is generally the allowance on major U.S. airlines. Passengers could get one checked bag for free on “Wanna Get Away Plus” tickets and the existing two free checked bags on “Anytime” and “Business Select” tickets, according to Bloomberg.

The company says, however, that it is not currently working on any concrete changes to its existing bag policy.

“There’s no work currently underway to change our industry-leading two bags fly free policy, but it’s important for us to know what our customers value most,” Southwest told Bloomberg.

On the company’s second-quarter earnings call last month, CEO Bob Jordan cited the air carrier’s lack of baggage fees as a big draw for customers.

“Just to be real clear on ’bags fly free’ as a policy, I mean, we’re not looking at this point to change that policy,” Southwest CEO Robert Jordan said, according to the company’s official transcript of the call.

“After fare and schedule, ’bags fly free’ is cited as the #1 issue in terms of why customers choose Southwest,” he said.

Mr. Jordan estimated that Southwest carries about twice as much baggage as the standard amount across the airline industry.

Other airlines earn a pretty penny on baggage fees.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, American Airlines made over $1.35 billion in baggage fees in 2023, United Airlines made over $1.2 billion, Spirit Airlines made over $987 million and Delta Air Lines made over $985 million.

By contrast, Southwest made $73.44 million on its charges for overweight or extra bags.