Southwest to start charging for bags

[TJLogan]

I called and was told it will probably be for the card holder only but no details are available yet.

I asked how people are supposed to be able make decisions about their flights based upon their budget for May 28th and later and the guy said "standby and keep watching the website. nothing has been released yet, officially". That is NOT helpful.

My understanding is yes it is the cardholder only.

 

[TJLogan]

Deleted

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

My understanding is yes it is the cardholder only.

Just to confirm, SW did clarify and it's the cardholder and up to 8 members on the same reservation. Exact wording and link is upthread.

 

[Pinnochio]

I hope they know the new market they are chasing because they seem to dumping a lot of former, long term customers.

agreed...while not giving up on them completely I will be shopping, something I've never done before....

 

[Jnaquin4]

The whole "economical" advantage Southwest had, is slowly fading.

 

[Puritysan]

Ignotr

 

[Puritysan]

I was willing to tolerate open seating because of the free checked bags.

This was in my email this morning:

View attachment 946843

My default is usually SW because it's non-stop to MCO and I can fly out of MHT in my backyard vs the time/expense to get to logan and fly another airline.

How much do you usually pay RT outta MHT, I have a friend in NH and flights RT were coming out to $400

 

[TheBigErn]

Do I need to pay with a Southwest credit card to get a free checked bag?

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Do I need to pay with a Southwest credit card to get a free checked bag?

No.

The cardholder (not authorized user) must be on the reservation but you don't have to use the card when you book.

 

[TinkAgainU]

I've been wary of Southwest since their Christmas IT meltdown, but I would specifically price them out when I knew I would have a checked bag or two and prices with the other airlines were high. With the change, it definitely makes me less likely to fly them.

As a participant in the SW Christmas fiasco, I still fly with them but Only when arrival time is not critical lol. I happen to have a SW credit card so one free bag each still applies. But if they don't offer times I like, I just pay the bag fee and go with another airline. I used to think of SW as ghetto, but frankly, most of the pricier airlines have gotten pretty mehh too.

EDIT TO THE FOLLOWING.... Maybe I'm wrong about this... it appears POINTS still do not expire even after a cancelled flight... and are just returned to your account.//// Prior post I stated ... I'm FAR more upset by the expiration of my points one year after any flight booking. That will likely have me both flying SW less and eventually cancelling my SW credit card. If I have to be watching for points to expire all the time, I'd rather just book whoever has the cheapest fully refundable flights to start with - and that is NOT always SW even with bag fees.

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

No.

The cardholder (not authorized user) must be on the reservation but you don't have to use the card when you book.

And everyone else on the reservation gets 1 free bag too, right?

 

[babydoll65]

And everyone else on the reservation gets 1 free bag too, right?

Everyone gets one free bag credit. So you'll pay for the bags but will be reimbursed upon return though I don't know how long it will take.

 

[eticketplease]

Everyone gets one free bag credit. So you'll pay for the bags but will be reimbursed upon return though I don't know how long it will take.

They changed the language from when it first came out now no purchase and waiting for refund is necessary

 

[pooch]

This is no joke folks. We just got back last Friday from a 6 day trip where there were 5 of us with 7 checked bags and we all had a backpack that went under the seat. Nothing went overhead. Going forward when we do this we'll have at least 5 carry-ons, that were previously checked every time, and minimal checked bags, if any. Overhead space was full on the flights to and from MCO and people were having to check their carry-ons at the door to the plane. Imagine now adding our 5 carry-ons plus those of many others to these flights and it's not hard to imagine where the concern is coming from.

I'm sure flights to MCO are a somewhat different animal than flights to other places but it's still going to be concerning across the board regardless.

Someone else mentioned something to the effect that this basically takes away anything that made SW special and I totally agree with that. The flights cost more than Spirit or other budget carriers so why would I fly with SW anymore given I can have roughly the same experience on another carrier for less? I've never flown Spirit or the other budget carriers but I'll be taking a closer look now for sure.

Wow!!! I took 6 adult sized & 1 child sized people to Florida for a week last year. We checked 2 24” bags & had 3 19” carry ons total for all of us!! If we all brought every stitch of clothing we own I don’t think we could fill 7 bags!

 

[pooch]

As a participant in the SW Christmas fiasco, I still fly with them but Only when arrival time is not critical lol. I happen to have a SW credit card so one free bag each still applies. But if they don't offer times I like, I just pay the bag fee and go with another airline. I used to think of SW as ghetto, but frankly, most of the pricier airlines have gotten pretty mehh too.

I'm FAR more upset by the expiration of my points one year after any flight booking. That will likely have me both flying SW less and eventually cancelling my SW credit card. If I have to be watching for points to expire all the time, I'd rather just book whoever has the cheapest fully refundable flights to start with - and that is NOT always SW even with bag fees.

Rapid Reward points DO NOT EXPIRE. Travel credits received when you take advantage of a lower price on a flight booked with cash will expire (this used to be the policy up until a couple of years ago). Rapid Rewards points earned by paying cash & taking flight or using your SWA CC do not expire.

 

[TinkAgainU]

Rapid Reward points DO NOT EXPIRE. Travel credits received when you take advantage of a lower price on a flight booked with cash will expire (this used to be the policy up until a couple of years ago). Rapid Rewards points earned by paying cash & taking flight or using your SWA CC do not expire.

That's good to know. I hope we're all not surprised by some fine print about that - but it looks safe enough for now.

 

[LoveToDisney]

If you book SW with either of the two lower tier price options with the points (and honestly, those are just the same or higher prices as the other airlines), and then cancel or rebook - the points you used to book will now Expire either 6 or 12 months from the date you placed the initial booking. That is different, and a PITA

Where do you see this explained? That is not what I understood.

 

[EACarlson]

If you book SW with either of the two lower tier price options with the points (and honestly, those are just the same or higher prices as the other airlines), and then cancel or rebook - the points you used to book will now Expire either 6 or 12 months from the date you placed the initial booking. That is different, and a PITA

Source for this? That is not how it's been described in anything sent out, nor has it been the experiences of many people. If this were what was happening, it would have been reported on.

 

[pooch]

If you book SW with either of the two lower tier price options with the points (and honestly, those are just the same or higher prices as the other airlines), and then cancel - the points you used to book will now Expire either 6 months (Basic Fare) or 12 months (Wanna Fare) from the date you placed the initial booking. I hope I'm wrong, but that is how I read the points terms now?

No, I don’t think that is correct. It is “flight credits” that expire. If you try to book a flight with points under the 2 lowest tiers it indicates refundable to Rapid Rewards account. I have already done this on 4 separate flights and the returned points do not have an expiration date. They’re just back in my account.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

If you book SW with either of the two lower tier price options with the points (and honestly, those are just the same or higher prices as the other airlines), and then cancel - the points you used to book will now Expire either 6 months (Basic Fare) or 12 months (Wanna Fare) from the date you placed the initial booking. I hope I'm wrong, but that is how I read the points terms now?

Points expiring has not been SWA's thing. In the past you would forfeit your points if you didn't keep your RR account active within 24 months which could be done in many ways. In 2019 they removed that requirement so points just sit there. Still they didn't nor do they expire even at this point.