Southwest Airlines' New Bag Charging Policy Is Going Into Effect Pretty Soon

For most of its history, Southwest Airlines distinguished itself by building a different model for flying its passengers, and one of the keys to that model was a policy to avoid charging customers to check their bags. That policy changed in 2025, when Southwest announced that it would start charging for checked bags like every other airline.

Now that we know Southwest is planning to start charging for checked baggage, many wondered when that change would go into effect. Here's what we know.

According to the company's Q&A page, the new policy will be implemented on May 28, 2025. Any flights booked before that time (regardless of when you're actual travel dates are) will not be charged for checked bags.

"We will not charge standard checked bag fees for your first or second checked bag for any reservations booked or changed on or before May 27, 2025, regardless of your travel date (weight and size limits apply)," the website explains.

"For reservations booked or changed on or after May 28, 2025, checked baggage fees will apply. We will offer two free checked bags to our Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred Members and Business Select Customers, and one free checked bag to A-List Members and other select Customers. Southwest will credit the first standard checked bag for Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers. Weight and size limits apply," it continues.

Although this new policy is set to go into effect in just two months, we still don't know exactly how much Southwest will be charging customers for bags yet. The company's website promises that additional details are forthcoming on that.

The news that they would start charging for bags understandably led to outrage among customers, many of whom flew with the airline for the sole reason that they didn't charge for bags.

The decision was apparently driven in large part by shareholders, who wanted to see the company increase the amount of money it makes on each customer. Of course, that new money might come at the expense of some loyal customers leaving the airline, but that is apparently worth the risk in Southwest's estimation.

“I sure hope this isn’t a case of activist investors coming in and insisting on a set of decisions that they won’t be around to have to endure,” Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei said to CNBC. “Great organizations get built over time. It doesn’t take very long to ruin an organization, and I really don’t want this to be an example of that.”

While we won't know the long-term impact on Southwest's business for some time, in the short term, it does seem like the company is losing one of its most distinctive qualities with this change. Thankfully, Southwest fans still have a couple of months to take advantage of free luggage, so go ahead and book your next vacation while you can still fly your bags for no cost.