Earlier this year, Southwest Airlines officially announced several major changes to the airline’s longstanding policies, announcing plans to start charging for checked bags and shifting to an assigned seating model, away from their open-seating plan.
Now, it sounds like another, more positive change could be on the horizon that customers will be excited to hear about.
Starting on Friday, the airline will begin testing a free new perk for its Rapid Rewards members.
New Checked Bag Fees
In May, Southwest Airlines introduced checked bag fees, with a $35 charge for the first bag and $45 for each additional one. This marked the end of the airline’s long-standing “bags fly free” policy.
Initially, customers were not happy, and bookings dropped immediately. Additionally, the policy didn’t deliver an instant profit boost.
Despite the backlash from customers, CEO Bob Jordan appears optimistic about the early outcomes.
“The revenue contribution from bag fees has exceeded our expectations so far, and we’ve experienced no negative impact to the operation,” Jordan said earlier this month.
Assigned Seating Model
For years, Southwest Airlines maintained a unique open-seating approach, allowing passengers to pick any seat upon boarding based on their check-in order. That’s set to change starting January 2026.
Southwest announced earlier this year that it would abandon its open-seating policy in favor of an assigned seating model. Passengers will now choose from four fare bundles: Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra.
Basic fare passengers will either get an automatically assigned seat the day before departure or pay extra to choose one. All other fare types will include complimentary seat selection.
The assigned seating model will take effect on January 27, 2026.
More Changes Ahead
Despite these major changes, Southwest Airlines is still exploring even more changes. In June, CEO Bob Jordan emphasized that the airline is open to additional adjustments.
While he didn’t specify future plans, he hinted at possibilities like international flights and airport lounges – offerings common among competitors but not yet pursued by Southwest.
“Whatever customers need in 2025, 2030, we won’t take any of that off the table,” Jordan said back in June. “We know we send customers to other airlines because there’s some things you might want that you can’t get on us. That includes things like lounges, like true premium, like flying long-haul international. I want to send fewer and fewer customers to another airline.”
Southwest Testing Free WiFi
For one week, beginning on Friday, Aug. 8 and ending Thursday, Aug. 14, Southwest Airlines will offer free in-flight internet connectivity to members of its Rapid Rewards loyalty program as a test.
To access free browsing and streaming, customers must either log in with their Rapid Rewards number or sign up for the program, either before or during their flight.
“We will use the findings from both tests to enhance our Wi-Fi offering and continue to strengthen what we offer customers to meet their needs,” the airline said this week according to The Points Guy.
It’s not clear whether or not Southwest plans to implement free WiFi beyond this.
