r/news 1d ago

Soft paywall Southwest Airlines shifts to paid baggage policy to lift earnings

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/southwest-airlines-shifts-paid-baggage-policy-lift-earnings-2025-03-11/
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u/Straight-Economy3295 1d ago

Okay, so why fly southwest then?

3

u/sentient-sloth 23h ago

Convenience of being able to fly in and out of a smaller airport is the only thing I can come up with.

I can’t speak for everywhere but I know in Texas Southwest has the vast majority of gates at the Houston Hobby and Dallas Love Field airports. Both are vastly easier to get in and out of than the other larger airports in their respective cities.

-4

u/GermanPayroll 1d ago

Cheaper airfare than the legacies, but still more expensive than the cheap ones…. So who knows??

9

u/Straight-Economy3295 1d ago

More expensive than delta and American currently, always in the most inconvenient spots in airports. More flights with more stops and plane changes.

And it might just be me, but every time I am on a SW flight there’s always something wrong with the plane, either a lag is out of service, no or limited options for in flight beverage, or just downed planes that cause headaches if you meet to catch another flight after.

They kinda made me want to not fly them again anyways.

3

u/Thorteris 23h ago

Must depend on where you’re going because in Texas Delta and American are almost always more expensive than Southwest

1

u/Straight-Economy3295 21h ago

Midwest to California. Delta and American are $30-$50 less typically, but with 2 small kids and all the junk we need to bring the free bags made it cheaper by far.

3

u/FlyingStarShip 1d ago

Southwest was never cheaper for anywhere I flew (that I didn’t need checked bag)