Wish to delay paying checked bag charges on Southwest Airways for so long as attainable? You could wish to ebook a visit between now and Tuesday.
Beginning Might 28, the Dallas-based provider will formally convey its much-maligned bag charges on-line. However this is the catch that would show useful for summer time vacationers: The brand new charges will apply to journeys booked from Might 28 onward.
Which means vacationers who already booked a summer time flight on Southwest will not owe any bag charges on that journey. It additionally means clients who lock of their fares between now and the top of the night time on Tuesday, Might 27 would not owe charges on these journeys, both — no matter when their flight departs.
Sure, which means when you booked end-of-year vacation flights now, your baggage would fly free then, too. In actual fact, Southwest’s reserving channels at the moment supply flights all the best way into mid-January, 2026.
Learn extra: Cheaper flights and award pricing: Why summer time 2025 may convey air journey bargains
Southwest Airways bag charges
Southwest introduced its dramatic shift away from its longstanding coverage that provided clients two free checked baggage on each fare kind again in March, citing a necessity to spice up its sagging income.
The transfer ended some of the customer-friendly insurance policies nonetheless provided by a significant U.S. airline — and one which executives final 12 months insisted they’d maintain in place even because the airline underwent wholesale modifications.
Starting Might 28, Southwest passengers should pay for all checked baggage when flying on the next fare lessons:
- Fundamental, which is able to change the longstanding Wanna Get Away fare as of Might 28
- Wanna Get Away Plus
- Anytime
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Learn extra: Finest Southwest Airways bank cards
How a lot will checked baggage value on Southwest Airways?
As I write this story, Southwest has not but stated how a lot it will cost passengers for his or her first (or second) checked bag — although it is price noting the most important U.S. carriers every cost round $35 for the primary bag, topic to sure phrases on some airways.
Southwest did say its charges “will align with business requirements,” and we anticipate to listen to extra within the coming days.
Learn how to get free baggage on Southwest
There are a few methods passengers will be capable to rating a free bag even after the charges launch.
- Enterprise Choose fares will nonetheless include two free baggage
- A-Listing Most popular elite standing members will get two free baggage
- A-Listing members will get one free bag
- All cobranded Southwest credit score cardholders will get one free bag, too
Notably, Southwest is not charging passengers to convey a full-size carry-on bag on board, one thing United Airways does on its fundamental financial system fares.
Associated: What you may get with every Southwest Airways fare beginning Might 28
Extra modifications coming
This is not the final wave of modifications on the airline. As I reported final month, Southwest later this 12 months will rename all of its fare merchandise and replace the advantages of every as soon as it begins promoting assigned seats for 2026.
Within the meantime, although, if I have been considering of flying Southwest in some unspecified time in the future this 12 months, I would think about reserving a flight between now and the top of Tuesday. It may successfully delay the beginning of paid baggage — for you, at the least — till a lot later in 2025.
Bear in mind: You may ebook with money or Speedy Rewards factors to lock in these bookings. And if you do not have a stash of Speedy Rewards factors, you possibly can switch them from each Chase Final Rewards and, as of this month, Bilt.
Simply be sure that your plans are set in stone: Southwest does be aware that fares modified after Might 27 might be topic to bag charges.
What if you need to cancel?
If you need to cancel a reserving made earlier than Might 28, you may nonetheless be capable to declare full fare credit score with no expiration date. Nevertheless, expiring flight credit are coming, ending one other lenient coverage.
In case you make a reserving on or after Might 28 after which must cancel, the flight credit score you may get will include a one-year expiration date, or six months for fundamental fares.
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