Bidding adieu to free checked bags, open seating, and common decency
For most of us , board an airplane is a stark monitor of this country ’s disappearing center year and the fading luminousness of the American Dream . The walk past first class feels fell as you dodge flight attendants handle trays of mimosa and peer down at passenger opening their complimentary Missoni bags who evade heart inter-group communication . The descent into coach is that of aSawtrap , an amalgamation ofuncomfortable tail end cushion , mash laptop computer , and , sometimes , physical fights .
But for X , there has been one airline that transcended this reality , a socialist Eden for the everyman — with pretzel . With its open seating insurance , free checked bag , flexible modification , and lucrative rewards program , Southwest Airlines has been the unofficial People ’s Airline , holding rightful to its flavor when all of the other airlines were rob passengers unreasoning .
Through my college years , I depended on Southwest ’s low fares to get me nursing home for winter good luck to see my category . Having two free checked bags come in grip for block back my vacation draw , not to mention the traveling bag my mommy always pack for me , full of alligator pear and local ingredients from ourArabic market — both essentials for my new life on the east coast . I respected Southwest for rewarding those who worry ( or wereanxious ) to show up early enough to get their want seat ; it made it so a college scholarly person as disorganized and frugal as myself could still give to model in the window and dramatically stare out of it .
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alas , as of this calendar week , all of these perquisite are coming to an last . Back in September 2024 , Southwest first declare they would introduceassigned seatingand charge rider extra for more legroom by 2026 . And on Monday the airline bring out they will father disembarrass of their liberal check bag policy , starting May 28 . Only A - listing members in Business Select will continue to do good from the insurance . To stipulate as an A - lister plough , you have to book 20 modification flights or earn 35,000 modification point in a individual year . ( Those with Southwest Visa credit card also get one costless checked bag . ) What was once the mass ’s princess of airlines now feels just like the other girlfriend — maybe even worse .
For me , and obviously many others who ’ve come to count on the airline ’s liberal insurance policy , Southwest ’s vibe shift is more than just a letdown ; it ’s a slap in the font — test copy that brand loyalty and consumer protection are , even here , virtually dead . It also reveals a young fickleness to Southwest ’s moral code ; part of the airline ’s mission affirmation was what they bring up to as “ transfarency , ” which include the promise of inclusivity and no out of sight fees .
In response to the changes , preceding customers are threatening to never fly Southwest again , while others — including me — feel that with the changes , there ’s no longer any incentive to fly the airline . The in - flight laugh are just not enough when it ’ll cost me $ 50 to fell with what I finger is a reasonable amount of shoes home . People are going so low as to equate Southwest to the infamouslycheap and chaotic Spirit Airlines . Even Amtrak get in on the dogpile .
This is not just about money , either . For plus - sized passenger , the seating policy is particularly accommodating ; on an episode of Ronald Young Jr. ’s podcastWeight For It , Young describes Southwest as “ anecdotally , the best air hose for fat common people , ” noting that the airline has a“customer of size ” policythat give plus - sized passengers an extra seat , devoid of charge . As Southwest continues to shift antecedency , many are worriedthe “ customer of size ” policy will go the means of the free checked pocketbook .
While I ’ve never been one to observe a corporation , I have to admit that Southwest always had a property in the annals of my heart . peradventure I even take its conveniences for granted . Now , alternatively of being first in line to board , dizzily selecting my own spot as if the world were at my fingertips , I ’ll be bar to airlines like Delta or United , forever in Zone 6 . If this former shift has teach me anything , it ’s to pack light , trust no one , and maybe prefer for the train instead .
