Southwest Airlines Drops New Business Model

Southwest Airlines’ baggage policy is changing on May 28 to include only one free checked bag for those who aren’t A-List Preferred Members or Business Select fare members.

The CEO of Southwest Airlines, Bob Jordan, made a news release saying the decision was solely to reach a profit level that keeps their shareholders happy and also attracts loyal customers.

“Airlines aren’t as cheap as they used to be during the pandemic and so I’ve always stuck with Southwest because of their affordable pricing,” said Brittney Spirewka, a restaurant manager from Chicago, Illinois. “It’s really disappointing to see them change things, because I don’t really qualify to be an A-List Preferred member.”

To qualify as an A-List member, a person has to book 40 one-way tickets or earn 70,000 points in the span of a year, according to their website.

The program does provide a “Welcome Bonus” where if a customer spends $3000 on flights in the first three months of the account opening, then they’ll award you 60,000 points; however, even though that helps customers reach their goal, this program doesn’t really cater to people who don’t make a six-figure salary.

Spirewka comes from a single-mother household and, for most of her adult life, has been forced to live paycheck to paycheck. She moved from Arizona to Chicago to be closer to her husband and has been flying Southwest Airlines to go visit her family for years now.

She doesn’t carry the luxury of having a job that pays for her to travel year-round. She’s your average working-class American who spends her days serving customers and running the kitchen at a Mexican restaurant.

“My biggest thing is just not knowing how much it’s going to cost,” said Spirewka. “Is it going to be $150 per bag? $300 per bag? Nobody knows and that’s the hard part.”

The airline also has made claims that they’re removing the open seating that they’ve had for almost 53 years. For those who aren’t aware of this perk, it started as a first-come-first-serve accommodation where whoever got in line first when their section got called would have a greater chance of finding a spot next to their travel companion.

This made the airline stand out amongst competition; however, the airline conducted research and found that 86% of their customers and 86% of potential customers prefer assigned seating, according to an article written in MSN.

The reasoning for this may vary but Southwest Airlines has claimed that, with more people taking longer flights, the preference has changed over time, according to that same article in MSN.

We all know how cramped those airplane rides can be and Southwest plans to replace open seating with premium seating, which will provide extra leg room for those who wish to take advantage of it.

They’re going to start selling assigned seats towards the end of this year, but the policy won’t officially take effect until early 2026. They’re still in the planning stages and have to redesign some of their aircrafts in order to deliver.

As for the baggage fees, Southwest Airlines hasn’t yet informed the public on how much it’s going to cost.