The New Southwest Airlines Bag Policy Changes Are Happening Sooner Than You Think

If you’re traveling soon, you’ll need to know about these major changes!

Planning your dream vacation can involve lots of things to consider, like hotel fees, food and drink prices, and the cost of travel! Flying is one of our favorite ways to get around, but it can get pricey if you aren’t careful. One airline has major price changes headed your way, and if you aren’t careful, it might cost you! We’re breaking down one of the biggest changes coming to Southwest Airlines soon. 

In case you missed it, Southwest Airlines is going through some major changes! The airline is removing some major staples of the brand, like its open seating policy and the “bags fly free” policy, and people have some strong feelings about these changes. While it might feel like we have a while to adjust to the changes, these are happening much sooner than you think. 

The change that we think will catch most people off guard is how soon the “Bags Fly Free” policy is ending! Starting on May 28th, 2025, your bags are going to cost you extra at Southwest. At the time of writing, that’s just a little over two months away, which will be here more quickly than you think.

The change will impact all flights purchased on May 28th and after so if you’re flying on the 28th, you won’t have to pay for your two bags just yet. The change doesn’t impact all Southwest passengers, though! To “reward loyal customers,” the airline will still offer free luggage for select passengers.

Regular A-List Members, Rapid Reward credit card members, and other select passengers will be able to check one bag for free! If you’re a Rapid Rewards A-List Member or booking with their Business Select option, you’re in luck! Anyone in those two groups will still get two free checked bags when flying Southwest. 

While we do have two months to adjust, we just know this change will still catch us off guard when it’s time to pay for flights. Southwest was largely known for this policy and its open seating policy, which is also being removed, so we are eager to see how this impacts the airline. If you don’t want to stress about remembering all of these policy changes, have someone else do it for you, like a travel agent!

If you’re looking for a travel agent to help with your vacation, we recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you! Let someone else remember all of these major travel updates so you can relax during the planning and the trip. 

Not only is Southwest changing its two most popular offerings, but it’s also adding a new Basic Fare option, adjusting rewards points, adding expiration dates for flight credits, and more. Outside of your bags and your seats, the biggest change to your wallet will be that Basic Fare option.

The Basic Fare option will include the basics when it comes to flying with Southwest; however, you will miss out on some Southwest perks that used to come with every fare, like making free changes for basic flights. Overall, these changes are going to be a major shift for the airline and your travel options.

At the time of writing, Southwest has not released the cost per bag passengers will pay when flying. As always, make sure that you continue to follow AllEars for all of your travel news and updates so you can save yourself some time and money before your next vacation!

9 BIG Changes Announced by Southwest Airlines

Tell us how you feel about these changes in the comments!

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