Southwest Airlines reveals how much it will cost to check a bag
New York CNN Southwest Airlines has put a price tag on checking bags a coveted free perk that is about to disappear as part of substantial changes the carrier is making to its facility For flights booked on May and after checking the first bag will cost and for the second piece of luggage If the ticket was bought prior to Wednesday the customer will still receive two free checked bags the company stated There are specific exceptions however Members in the A-List tier of its Rapid Rewards loyalty operation holders of its branded credit card or those traveling on a business fare will be exempt from the charges Southwest s fee are aligned with other carriers prices Delta Air Lines American Airlines and United Airlines all charge between to for the first checked bag Others like JetBlue Airways and Frontier Airlines charge different fees depending on various factors including if it s purchased online or departure date Southwest has unfailingly offered free checked bags since the airline started about years ago and kept the protocol in place when its competitors starting adding and increasing fees In fact the carrier has trademarked its bags fly free slogan which has been a key part of its advertising Adding these fees will likely instantly boost its bottom line because Southwest has two to three times as numerous checked bags as other airlines Despite not charging for the first two checked bags Southwest collected million in baggage fees in according to Department of Transportation statistics Southwest charges for a third checked bag and up to for overweight luggage among other fees However that is a fraction of the baggage fees collected by other airlines with American collecting billion in while United pulled in billion and Delta garnering billion Other changes Southwest has been under pressure to boost profitability since activist investor Elliott Outlay Management took a billion stake in the carrier last year It has already revealed that it s ditching its open-seat procedures in and retrofitting its planes with seats that have extra legroom for an additional charge Southwest commented customers were clamoring for those changes When people switch to a competitor from Southwest the company noted the top reason passengers cite is open seating But the change will also help the company charge particular passengers more for their tickets The airline has also changed the way it sells tickets Traditionally it only sold them on Southwest s website but in recent times started sell them on Expedia to attract more customers Also beginning Wednesday Southwest will start selling basic commercial sector fares which are low-priced tickets but with tons of restrictions It s a ticket type that s replacing its famous Wanna Get Away fare and is becoming increasingly common among larger carriers to compete against low fares offered by budget airlines
