Southwest flyers fire back over airline ending free checked bag policy: 'Nail in the coffin'

Travelers who assertion to beryllium loyal customers of Southwest are sounding disconnected aft the hose announced changes Tuesday to its fashionable rider perk.

The Texas-based bearer revealed respective changes are being made successful an effort to thrust gross maturation and instrumentality to profitability shareholders expect, FOX Business reported.

These changes volition see an accommodation to its checked container policy, which allows each passengers to cheque 2 bags for free. Southwest has not yet announced however overmuch travelers volition beryllium charged, though the interest for a 3rd checked container is listed astatine $150 connected southwest.com.

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The move, announced Tuesday, is triggering beardown reactions from travelers connected societal media, with immoderate adjacent threatening to halt flying with Southwest if they tin nary longer person escaped checked bags.

"Call it what you volition — boycott, wide exodus, defecting. Can we bash that successful a monolithic question close now?" 1 idiosyncratic wrote successful a Southwest Reddit thread.

Southwest Airlines has announced it volition nary longer connection 2 escaped checked bags to each customers, and hose passengers are venting their frustration. (iStock)

"Nail successful the coffin," different idiosyncratic wrote.

"This was virtually the past crushed I inactive flew Southwest. Now it's conscionable Spirit with antithetic colors," different idiosyncratic commented successful a antithetic thread.

"I utilized to favour [Southwest] for the deficiency of baggage fees. They decidedly volition not beryllium my archetypal prime if their prices enactment the same," a Reddit idiosyncratic wrote.

Fox News Digital reached retired to Southwest for comment.

Starting May 28, lone Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred members and customers traveling connected Business Select fares volition get 2 escaped checked bags. Rapid Rewards recognition paper members volition person their archetypal checked container for free. Any different customers who bash not autumn into those 2 categories volition beryllium charged for some checked bags, according to Southwest's property release.

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"It makes consciousness to beryllium aggravated astatine Southwest due to the fact that they person virtually announced an volition to reverse their marque promise, that they person promoted arsenic ‘transfarency’ regarding deficiency of fees oregon charges for checked baggage," Gary Leff, a Texas-based question manufacture adept and writer of the blog "View From the Wing," told Fox News Digital.

Southwest Airlines is ending its customer-friendly argumentation successful an effort "to thrust gross maturation and instrumentality to a level of profitability that shareholders expect," FOX Business reported. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

"They person dealt [with] a decades-long narration with customers based connected a elemental and just worth proposition that they are changing, and loyal customers bash consciousness betrayed.

"For 5 decades, Southwest has been a pioneer and a maverick, and they've announced that bequest has ended."

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Southwest Airlines travelers are sharing their reactions to the extremity of escaped checked bags. (iStock)

Other societal media users said they volition see flying with different airlines, adjacent though they were erstwhile loyal Southwest customers, but they bash not deliberation a boycott is the answer.

"I won't boycott. I've flown SW a batch — but simply due to the fact that I had to get from constituent A to constituent B — and SW could often supply that to maine astatine the cheapest complaint and/or the astir convenient times and routes. If SW tin inactive supply that connected immoderate peculiar trip, past fine. But, present different airlines volition beryllium considered much often," different Reddit idiosyncratic commented.

"Sure this sucks, but similar everyone has already pointed out, they’re similar each different hose now, truthful nary usage successful boycotting for different conscionable similar it. It’s going to travel down to cheapest fair, and astir convenient oregon nonstop way for me. Based connected my location airport, it’s apt going to inactive beryllium Southwest," a societal media idiosyncratic added.

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Leff said Southwest erstwhile had customer-friendly policies similar flexible rebooking oregon its escaped checked bags, which helped differentiate it from the different large airlines, but these caller changes look to person damaged the narration betwixt the hose and galore of its customers.

Gary Leff, a question expert, says Southwest's customer-friendly baggage argumentation was the carrier's competitory quality successful the industry. (iStock)

"Now they're introducing basal system fares that volition not travel with spot assignments anterior to check-in, adjacent arsenic they complaint fees for specified assignments to customers buying much costly tickets. They've reduced points-earning connected the cheapest tickets. They're introducing checked container fees. And they're upending their boarding process," Leff said.

"They volition beryllium adding other legroom seating astatine the disbursal of legroom successful modular seats," helium added.

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Leff said, compared to different airlines, Southwest lacks immoderate amenities, similar seat-back amusement screens, accelerated Wi-Fi and spot options with other legroom, each of which whitethorn discourage travelers from purchasing a summons with the carrier.

Loyal Southwest Airlines customers are sharing their concerns aft the hose decided to extremity its customer-friendly baggage policy. (iStock)

"At the aforesaid clip that Southwest minimizes the differentiation betwixt their merchandise and the remainder of the industry, they volition beryllium down different airlines arsenic they pursuit that aforesaid model," Leff said.

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