Southwest Airlines is preparing for a major announcement Tuesday, but some of the company’s most loyal customers are still hung up on recent changes.
Earlier this year, Southwest raised eyebrows when it eliminated its popular “Bags Fly Free” and unassigned seating policies. Allowing passengers the chance to bring two checked bags for no charge and pick their own seats had helped the budget airline become a customer favorite for decades.
“I know that we have some that are not happy – and we have many, many, many that are happy,” Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan said last month. “You have to keep talking because sometimes people don’t understand what you’re doing. What I find is that once folks know where we’re headed, they’re very excited. I think you just have to play through this period of change because change is hard.”
So far, consumers aren’t letting Southwest slide.
A ‘warning’ for Southwest
Tomorrow, August 19, Southwest will officially unveil all of the details of its new in-house vacation program, Getaways by Southwest.
The airline has been teasing the announcement on social media over the last week, sharing cryptic Instagram posts leading up to Tuesday.
While some customers are excited about the new venture, others are sending a clear message to Southwest in the comments section. They’re still not happy about the earlier changes, and it may lead to them looking elsewhere when booking flights.
“Oooooo bring back the 2 free checked bags please,” one person said in response to the latest hint.
“A new IG profile for @southwestair. Trying to make us forget about how they sold their souls 😂,” another person added.
“Exciting……especially if @southwestair is pulling back on their poor decision to start charging for bags,” a third person wrote.
“What’s the surprise? More charges?” said a fourth person cynically.
“All these changes at Southwest have helped me discover how much better the legacy airlines have become!” a fifth person wrote.
“Bags fly free and open seating is back?!? That would be a great surprise,” a sixth person added.
‘Bags Fly Free’ is returning–but with a catch
As it turns out, Southwest is reviving its “Bags Fly Free” policy, but only if you have booked a trip through Getaways by Southwest.
“With packing flexibility (every Customer on the booking gets two free checked bags—weight and size limits apply), change flexibility (make changes up to 10 minutes before your flight), and cancel for credit flexibility (cancel up to 10 minutes before your flight and receive a vacation travel credit), it’s never been easier to getaway,” says the official Getaways by Southwest website.
Unfortunately, if you’re on a regular Southwest flight, you still have to pay $35 for your first checked bag and $45 for subsequent ones moving forward.
