Southwest Airlines is doing away with the one policy that made the carrier stand out from the competition. Starting May 28, the airline will no longer allow every passenger two free checked bags. Southwest is dropping that longstanding—and obviously very popular—policy as it applies to most customers. Instead, only Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred Members and…
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX is pushed back from the gate at San Diego International Airport in San Diego, Aug. 24, 2024. Kevin Carter | Getty Images Southwest Airlines announced Tuesday what was once unthinkable: it will start charging customers to check their luggage. It's a $300 million gamble. Last year,…
Ground operations employees load baggage onto a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft on the tarmac at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California. Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images It's happening: Southwest Airlines will start charging passengers to check bags for the first time. It's a stunning reversal that shows…
A Southwest Airlines aircraft at a gate at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, Feb. 16, 2023. Jordan Vonderhaar | Bloomberg | Getty Images Southwest Airlines is closing two more crew basis amid its cost-cutting push that has also led to its first mass layoffs in its more than 50 years of…
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 passenger plane taxis along the tarmac at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia on December 13, 2024. Daniel Slim | Afp | Getty Images Southwest Airlines said Monday that it is cutting about 15% of corporate jobs, or about 1,750 people, a move…
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 passenger plane taxis along the tarmac at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia on December 13, 2024. Daniel Slim | Afp | Getty Images Southwest Airlines is pausing corporate hiring and promotions, suspending most of its summer internships and going without some employee…
Social media is so infected with liars and bad actors that we can't trust it even to tell us the sky is blue anymore. But the minute Southwest Airlines announced that, after some 50 years, the carrier will do away with its open seating system, the online reaction seemed to repeat a certain point that…
This'll have to be quick—because Southwest's promotion will be, too. Until Thursday, September 5, Southwest Airlines opening a window to register for its Companion Pass deal, which allows members of its Rapid Rewards program (sign up for free here) to get a second ticket for free when they buy one for themselves. There are a…
Every budget-minded air passenger in the United States already knows that longtime no-frills kingpin Southwest Airlines is in bad trouble. The list of woes is daunting: Repeated operational meltdowns forcing the cancellation of thousands of flights at a time, including in peak holiday season. A heightened safety review by the FAA following several near-miss incidents…
A Southwest Airlines plane takes off from Hollywood Burbank Airport on July 25, 2024 in Burbank, California. Mario Tama | Getty Images Southwest Airlines and American Airlines raised their fourth-quarter forecasts on Thursday, citing strong demand and higher fares, sending shares in the carriers higher. Southwest said fourth-quarter unit…