As President Donald Trump works furiously to fix the ailing economy in his second term, one would assume that most businesses would try and add value for their customer base.
Apparently, Southwest Airlines didn’t get that memo.
Customers of the suddenly beleaguered airline have been voicing outrage after the company suddenly pivoted on one of its most popular policies: “Bags fly free.”
As reported on by the Wall Street Journal, Southwest will begin charging for checked bags, “a seismic shift that will boost revenue but potentially give its fiercely loyal passengers a reason to shop around.”
(Fun fact: Per WSJ, so important was this “Bags fly free” motto, the airline actually trademarked it. Whoops.)
Now, in total fairness, some bags still fly free.
“For bookings made on or after May 28, only customers with the airline’s top loyalty status and those buying its priciest tickets will be allowed to check two bags free,” the Journal notes. “Travelers with the airline’s next level of status or a Southwest credit card are allowed one free checked bag.”
Those aforementioned “fiercely loyal customers” took to social media to lambaste the policy change, bemoaning that the extra value, which separated Southwest from its peers, was effectively gone.
“This is how you destroy a brand @SouthwestAir,” one X user lamented. “This is one of the primary reasons I choose to fly this airline over American.”
That user added: “The moves Southwest is making are incredibly disappointing for those who have been loyal to this airline.”
Will this make you less likely to fly Southwest?
Yes: 83% (692 Votes)
No: 17% (143 Votes)
“Southwest Airlines may soon find that, if they become just like every other airline, formerly hardcore Southwest loyalists will start treating them like every other airline,” another X user pointed out.
One X user basically described Southwest as a last resort option, now that these changes have taken place: “Unless no other carrier has a non-stop flight to where I need to go, there’s [zero] reason to fly southwest going forward.
“Delta, American, Alaska, etc all have similar pricing, and are better airlines after these changes.”
Yet another X user piled on, simply noting that Southwest had lost whatever unique luster it once had.
“Everything great about Southwest is dead,” that user posted. “Zero separation between them and other airlines now.”
This new baggage policy comes just a little less than a year after Southwest announced a wildly popular policy change, when the airline opted to go with assigned seating versus open seating.
As for this slightly less popular policy change, even company execs aren’t bothering to sugarcoat it.
“I’m not trying to spin it as a very big positive for everybody, but we did try to protect our engaged customers here,” Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson told WSJ.
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