Post all SW questions concerns, etc. here...

[Sparrow'sLady]

It’s tied to the ticket but I don’t think it shows on the boarding pass. They should be able to tell you at the counter who gets 2 free bags

We know that we get two free bags. We purchased in March and have made no changes. I am concerned, after a reddit thread I read through, they will try to charge us for bags although we fall under the old policy.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

We know that we get two free bags. We purchased in March and have made no changes. I am concerned, after a reddit thread I read through, they will try to charge us for bags although we fall under the old policy.

Was there some circumstance on the reddit thread apart from tickets booked, zero changes made?

The only things I've seen have been issues where people didn't realize that changing part of a ticket changed the whole ticket. For instance, if you change the outbound of a round trip, the whole confirm is considered changed. Or, if SW messes with your flights and then you take advantage of a free change as a result, that still counts as you changing your ticket. Using same day standby on the way out also impacts the way the system reads a return for round trip confirms.

If you really booked in March and haven't touched it since, I wouldn't be concerned.

 

[MIChessGuy]

I was worried about this when Southwest changed my return flight time and offered me a 'free' adjustment to some other flight. Without knowing for sure, I just assumed they would apply bag fees to some or all of the itinerary despite their reassurance and indeed that was the case for everyone who did change. As it happened, the automated baggage kiosk knew that my flights were under the old no-fee regime, so no problems. I do recall being quite annoyed several weeks ago when their email about changing my flight time said nothing about bag fees. Regardless, I am finished with Southwest and now look forward to the dedicated customer service offered by Frontier.

 

[MinnieMSue]

I know this is a dumb question but I purchased the fare that includes priority lane at checkin. Do you still go to a kiosk and tag your bag or do they do that for you in the priority lane? I have always tagged my bag and handed it in to whatever person was available with this fare but traveling alone and it would be a bit easier if they did that for me. I do the curbside checkin as often as possiblebut this flight will be too early in the morning for that.

 

[eticketplease]

We know that we get two free bags. We purchased in March and have made no changes. I am concerned, after a reddit thread I read through, they will try to charge us for bags although we fall under the old policy.

You originally posted “
Do boarding passes reflect information to show if you purchased pre-May 28th?

We may be taking 3 bags for 2 people to check-in. How are they determining who owes luggage fees and who does not?”

I assumed tickets were purchased at different times i.e. who would be paying for the 1 extra bag.

 

[eticketplease]

I know this is a dumb question but I purchased the fare that includes priority lane at checkin. Do you still go to a kiosk and tag your bag or do they do that for you in the priority lane? I have always tagged my bag and handed it in to whatever person was available with this fare but traveling alone and it would be a bit easier if they did that for me. I do the curbside checkin as often as possiblebut this flight will be too early in the morning for that.

They will tag it for you. Most of the time even at MCO priority isn’t that big a deal but I was certainly glad to have it leaving CUN.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I wonder if the do it yourself kiosk know or not. I'm trying to remember but I feel like someone used that and reported back on the thread that it didn't reflect a charge for them and they had purchased tickets prior to the May date.

If anyone tests the kiosks and should qualify for free baggage that would be great to report back how the machine saw their ticket. I know there are a variety of ways someone would get free luggage so we'd probably want to put if our status, credit card, or ticket purchased allowed for included luggage. I would test this ourselves but our trip next week won't be with checked luggage

We purchased our flights and made many changes prior to May 28th.

We flew 2 weeks ago using self serve kiosks. Indicated we had 3 bags for the 2 of us and as in the past, kiosk showed no baggage fee.

Our return flight was last week and we chalked the same 3 bags at Pop Century and once again, there wasn’t any discussion of luggage fees.

We know that we get two free bags. We purchased in March and have made no changes. I am concerned, after a reddit thread I read through, they will try to charge us for bags although we fall under the old policy.

I would not be concerned at all if you have not made any changes after the May date.

 

[connie254]

I have the SW credit card and I know I get one free checked bag if I book with it. If I book the preferred seats would I get an additional free checked bag?

 

[eticketplease]

I have the SW credit card and I know I get one free checked bag if I book with it. If I book the preferred seats would I get an additional free checked bag?

1. You do not have to book with the card to get a free bag, the primary card holder has to be on the reservation and then up to 9 on the reservation (8 + Primary Card holder) would receive 1 free bag. You may earn more points booking with a different card or get better travel protections incase of flight delays or cancellations or lost luggage.
2. No even if you pay for preferred seats (Priority card includes these at booking) you will not get another free piece of luggage. The only way to get two free bags is to purchase the most expensive option, "Choice Extra" which comes with "Extra Legroom" seats.

 

[Tink3815]

Would someone booked on a companion pass after May 28, receive the 2 free bags if the original reservation was booked in March 2025 and never changed. The companion does not have a SW credit card, but the person who booked on Mar 25 does. Do lap children get any type of free bags if on the reservation with the companion.

 

[EACarlson]

Would someone booked on a companion pass after May 28, receive the 2 free bags if the original reservation was booked in March 2025 and never changed. The companion does not have a SW credit card, but the person who booked on Mar 25 does. Do lap children get any type of free bags if on the reservation with the companion.

That's an interesting question. Logically, the answer would be that the companion would get 1 free bag while the purchaser gets two. Unless adding the companion is considered modifying the flight, in which case each would get one. I don't believe lap children get any luggage allowance.

 

[gr8ful]

Keep an eye on your Jet Blue flights. Booking this far out they are likely to change the times multiple times. Has happened to us the last three times we booked more than a few months out.

Thanks. That's been happening to us quite a bit too but we'll wait and see and adjust if we have to.

My Nov 2025 flight to MCO has changed twice but least it hasn’t been canceled at this point. I tried to book flights for our Feb 2026 trip but there is only 1 direct flight and it’s at 6a, which I hate. In the past there were always 3 direct flights.

SWA is currently showing 5 direct flights. I have been a pretty loyal JetBlue flyer and credit card holder, but guess whose card I am getting ready to apply for? Anyone else thinking now is a good time to consider switching and going after their very first CP?

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

Was there some circumstance on the reddit thread apart from tickets booked, zero changes made?

The only things I've seen have been issues where people didn't realize that changing part of a ticket changed the whole ticket. For instance, if you change the outbound of a round trip, the whole confirm is considered changed. Or, if SW messes with your flights and then you take advantage of a free change as a result, that still counts as you changing your ticket. Using same day standby on the way out also impacts the way the system reads a return for round trip confirms.

If you really booked in March and haven't touched it since, I wouldn't be concerned.

The comment simply said that they booked in January and flew at the beginning of June and had to fight to get the bag fees waived. They had proof on their phone of the original booking and still the desk wanted to charge bag fees. The person said they were aware of the new policy and changes and made no changes to their flights. A few others chimed in on the thread citing a similar experience.

Perhaps with the new policy, the representatives at the check-in desk just assumed they needed to pay those fees. If not, 3 - 4 people were completely dishonest about their experience.

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

You originally posted “
Do boarding passes reflect information to show if you purchased pre-May 28th?

We may be taking 3 bags for 2 people to check-in. How are they determining who owes luggage fees and who does not?”

I assumed tickets were purchased at different times i.e. who would be paying for the 1 extra bag.

Sorry about that, I thought saying purchased pre-May 28th was clear that we fall under the 2 bag each policy, prior to the changes. It made sense in my head, but I can see the confusion in my post now.

We purchased 2 tickets in March, under the old policy. There are two of us flying together, but we may have 3 bags instead of 2. We do not have the SWA card (yet) as we are under the old policy..... I am curious if there is something visible on the ticket to let the rep at the check-in know that you fall under the old policy. Most likely, when they scan it they will know.

 

[nekonekoneko]

Looking back, SW should've kept the pre May 28 policies in place until assigned seating. This 8 month shift just really made things way more confusing than they had to be.

 

[eticketplease]

Looking back, SW should've kept the pre May 28 policies in place until assigned seating. This 8 month shift just really made things way more confusing than they had to be.

From a customer standpoint certainly but from a business standpoint it is working out nicely.
They are making money on bags and making their partner Chase happy with new CC signups which eventually puts more $$ on their balance sheet.