Comments

1. I have no idea why everybody is so up in arms about this. Southwest is not all their customers anything! The goal of Southwest current management team is to maximize profits for the company and its investors! Southwest provides a service that people are willing to pay for so why should they not charge all around to maximize their profits? I would venture to say Southwest doesn’t really want the passengers that do not fly frequently. The family of six that flies out to Disney once a year is more trouble than they are worth. The frequent business traveler whose company is paying for the flight is where the money is at!

2. I like the option of skycaps when I pull up to an airport. If you don’t want to tip, then don’t use the service. Skycaps earn their money considering they have to deal with dozens of morons everyday.

3. I’m not sure why Southwest is doing all this. It’s like they are trying do drive travelers away. The only change I as a rewards member ever wanted was an assigned seat, so the wheelchair brigade didn’t take all the seats up front by the bathroom. The rest of this is nickel and diming us to where I may stop traveling altogether or travel by car, bus or train. I am retired so I can take 3-4 days to get somewhere.

4. Corporate greed at its finest.

5. My husband and I took my kid home from college yesterday. Too much stuff – 6 checked and 6 carry-on. Mostly heavy duffel bags. Checked curbside. Two of the bags were overweight, and the porter was super helpful with rearranging. I gladly tipped him $20.
   No, I’m not a big tipping culture person but he earned it. And my kid needs to learn how to pack.

6. $3 for curbside bag checkin? Hey, that’s a cost reduction. I would tip the skycap $5. Now, I’ll pay $3 and no tip. I just saved $2. Thanks SW.

7. I am disabled and need assistance from the car drop off point. Southwest skycaps have always been so helpful. Will there be an extra charge for help too.

8. Until now, I have never even thought about using another airline for domestic travel for the 3-5 flights I take per year. Now that Southwest is just as crappy as everyone else, might as well just use the lowest fare showing on Google flights.

   I have two flights booked under the pre-5/28 system using up my remaining points and gift card money. After that, I’ll give the other airlines a chance for a while.

   What a self own by Southwest.

9. I don’t think there’s any reason that you would find me on a Southwest airlines flight, again….. Unless I had no other options?! Everything that made them attractive, low price, no stress reservation changes, free luggage, and unreserved seating… Is going away, along with any good reasons for actually sticking with Southwest, for air travel ?!

10. What are these comments? Are you all paid off by the airlines or something? South West used to be my go to airline because of cost… now they are the same cost or more than the big airlines with Spirit Airlines quality planes and accommodations. I hope people stop flying them. If your going to fork out the same as a big carrier you might as well get the nicer planes and accommodations of the big carrier.

11. Wherever I can, I am now switching to Alaska Air or United. Having recently done an extensive fare search (in my markets) Southwest is no longer the best option. United beat them by nearly $200 on one cenerio & Alaska has their companion ticket option with their B of A credit card.
    I’ll keep my SW credit card just for the free bag perk but other than that goodby SW.

    i

12. Last week’s flight out of Las Vegas was delayed because six members of a family group were in wheelchairs, young and old. At least a couple of them had no problem getting out of the chair to use the restroom. The gate agents announced that if any of the wheelchair customers were able to board under their own power, however slowly, that would help the flight keep to schedule, but no one responded. Why not require a disability status for wheelchair boarding? Wheeling people around the airport is fine, leave that unchanged and perhaps offer luggage assistance for the infirm. But no more gaming the system by the merely lazy.

13. I have been a Southwest customer for over 40 years. No longer do I fly Southwest, Alaska and United have my business. Greedy and sad Southwest.

14. I just flew out of lax they charged me 4$ a bag. I use southwest every month to go back and forth the my doctors for treatment. And I have tried to stay loyal to them even with all the changes they have made but I’m about to my breaking point. I understand they need to make money to operate but if they offer something that the consumer can relate to then they should put the consumer first on some aspect. Now they are like any other airline and Delta is better than they are even with southwest new planes. I wish they would bring back a little of their heart for us.

15. I dont understand how anyone will want to travel by plane going forward unless it’s for a family emergency or business requirement? This is bs& a sign of the times. End of the world is likely. This is the start.

16. I just took my final flight this past Saturday with Southwest because of their new regulations. At the Chicago Midway Airport, to check in with bags on the outside is $4.00 per bag and they don’t accept cash.

17. Dave thinks students only pay a portion of their college tuition now? Is he dumb, or just really really old? The cheapest public university in America comes out to about $8-10k per year, for four years. Let’s go low end and say $32k total. Let’s say you pay for this with student loans. When one graduates, they are required to pay back the FULL loan. Stop me at the point they are giving away free college.

    It’s not like back in the day when you went to school on $250/semester. Stop watching so much Fox News Dave.

18. SWA is devolving from a no frills carrier into the new frontier, spirit. Will bankruptcy be far behind? We used to fly SWA frequently because of their timeliness, price, baggage policy, and flexibility. Now that they’ve abandoned those attributes, we’ll never fly them again. Anyone want to buy my accumulated FFM’s?

19. These comments are hilarious. I have to suspect that some folks here have SW vested interests. I’ll put it very simply; I have just under 250k SW points, I’ve been a SW Priority Credit Card holder for almost a decade, and a SW (LUV) shareholder since Jan, 2021. Suffice to say I was a fan.

    I am now 100% done with SW. They have given up everything and anything that set them apart, and worse they have shown that they cannot be trusted. Every additional act – even adding $3 for a service I’ve never used – just reinforces the sentiment.

    Obviously they think they know what they are doing, but I am sure the leadership at Blockbuster, RadioShack, TGI Fridays, Kodak, Bed Bath & Beyond, Forever 21, etc., etc. had it all figured out too, until they didn’t.

20. As someone who grew up in Texas and worked in airline industry for a number of years I just think Southwest is exhibiting cancel culture at its finest. Their fsre structure “used” to be unorthodox but these recent changes completely eradicated everything that once made them special. In the last year however United has beat them on fares in the markets I fly most often so I’d stick with United and use my Explorer card benefits for a free bag check. I’d always end up paying for the early bird check in anyway to get a better seat so why not fly United where I get to pick my seat and have a free bag?

    Goodbye Southwest…you have now truly resorted to the old moniker we used to refer to in the 80s when I worked for Continental Airlines – SOUTHWORST”

21. The great thing of free markets is SW will quickly see if the new policies foisted on them by activist shareholders increase or decrease profit.. If you are right they will quickly see profit dropping and customers leaving and will have the option to return to their old policies.

    Let’s see what the next few quarters earnings show. Do customers really care enough

22. @1990, and may you and your entire family be the next in line in the Unemployment Office since you wish that fate on the 60,000+ Employees of Southwest Airlines/

23. Ultimately it comes down to a business decision. Flying isn’t a right yet people treat it as such. It is a service one contracts with a carrier. I get this won’t be popular but based on how people dress and act in the gate area and on flights is ridiculous.

    These costs have always existed. Once ticket costs were broken out the complaints started.

24. This is 2025; not 1975!
    Most people are used to paying extra fees for services rendered now.
    As long as Southwest takes care of the cabin passengers, keeping them safe, the added fees don’t mean a thing. Just remember, this is just my opinion.

25. Even though community college per unit fees for tuition have gone up, my local community college here in California currently charges less than $1,000 for 20 units (there are additional fees such as student activity fees, etc. but they total less than tuition). Going to a community college for the first two years while living at home can lead to a much less expensive undergraduate education. Just go to a community college that will count as transfer credit for the targeted 4 year school and get top grades. Per my experience, I found that the professors at the community college were better at teaching than the professors at the college where I got my Bachelor of Science degree.

26. Seems to me SWA has cut its own throat for a little extra money. Two fees for baggage , assigned seat, terrible choice’s that come with your ticket without spending too much. Plus their ticket price has not gone down any. I’m definitely going to look elsewhere after flying with them since a move 11 years ago and four to five flights a year. Think that’s what a lot more travels are thinking as well.

27. It’s what I called “Brown Envy”, when I used to work at FedEx Express. The takeover by micromanagers took a once great company and turned it in to a Cinderella story. Only difference was, the “Ugly Step-sisters'” got all the goodies while we had no option to go to the “Ball” or not.

28. Herb is shaking his head now in disbelief. I have flown SWA since they started, not the same company.

29. I think Southwest is going to regret these changes. I for one will not fly Southwest again.

30. Private equity strikes again. People need to fight back against this scum that strip businesses for their parts and screw over employees and customers.

31. I will never fly Southwest Airlines again. Somehow, they have lost their way. I’ll pray that they return to normal and stop trashing a really great company.

32. Those were jobs that were part of the industry and perhaps paid a few bills. More and more we become way less than we used to be. The airlines are the new bus stations!

33. Carla I’m from an airline family and I totally agree. But there is NO competition so they can thumb their nose at us and point to the bus station but I’m beginning to not see a difference anymore.

34. As a long term SW fIyer, I am saddened by the way greedy investors have forced the operators of SW to rip the heart out of this airline that used to have character & a commitment to all customers. The onboard crew even offered humor. The charging for bags , threat to remove open seating and eliminating assistance from the Skycaps
    Their Skycaps were the best, I certainly tipped more than $5.00; they were always helpful & more than just bag handlers.
    .SW will soon have to change their Logo, since they no longer have any heart for their customers or services. Greed & Profit should not be the sole measures of success in this country.

35. Just in case the rest of you are interested, I’ll reply to the “new” poster trying to goad me. 《$17,709 is the average cost of tuition at any 4-year institution, representing 46.3% of college costs for a first-time, full-time student living on campus.
    $9,750 is the average cost of in-state tuition at public 4-year institutions, representing 35.9% of the cost of attendance for a full-time student living on campus.》https://educationdata.org/average-cost-of-college
    The first number in each line is not the actual out-of-pocket cost, but the “sticker price.” From this students get scholarships and financial aid. So, the first number is overstated on average. And, the first and second numbers include food and housing costs that we all have anyway. So, yes, students pay on average a small percentage of non room and board univerdity costs—the cost of instruction. Sorry, but I don’t watch Fox News (or CNN or MSNBC), but I have extensive experience dealing with universities. Of course, very few students have a full ride, but there are those who argue everyone should.

36. It’s all about the cost of doing business. The pilots want a 40 percent increase over 5 years. The flight attendants want a 40 percent over 5 years. The cost of mechanics to service the aircraft. The cost of jet fuel has tripled. The reality is it’s only to get worse,so buckle up or keep on bending over

37. @American — Management (and the activist investors at Elliott) are to blame here. Ultimately, their (likely purposeful) destruction of this once beloved airline is going to kill the company and those jobs in their current form, not me. I’ve been pro-consumer and pro-worker on here the entire time.

    That said, if ultimately the airline ends, merges, or is acquired, etc., as has happened in the industry many times before, (see: Northwest, Continental, Pan Am, TWA, etc.), it will indeed affect a lot of people, yes. None of them deserved this poor treatment. They all should speak up against these bad practices, as should consumers.

    Generally, I continue to wish that there were even better protections for everyone, and I’ve frequently advocated for that here, yet the reality is that it’s going to get turbulent. Let’s prepare ourselves.

38. I will not use SWA from JAX to Hobby Houston because they only have one non-stop with 6:AM flight time. United has 4 non-stop with much better times

39. @Dave W. — You are right to call out @Un for inappropriate comments (specifically those on the previous page, regarding cancer). Based on @Un’s other hostile and misguided comments on other posts, it’s safe to say that @Un is a pro-CCP troll. Bad actor. Watch out, folks.

40. I just flew on a SW flight to Cancun. I have always received acceptional service on flights. Since the changes to their business plan, I have witnessed a decline in service. Clearly, the attendants are not happy. They were on their phones tending to personal issues. Never witnessed this prior to the changes.We want free bags, open seating, and and uncomplicated fare structure.

41. I love that everyone just miraculously disregards the fact the company was effectively under hostile takeover and like anyone has a choice in the matter.

42. .Been flying SW for over 40 years.Never minded the boarding system and loved the great, friendly service on and off the planes. These new changes have turned them into the bottom of the pack (excepting Spirit) from being the best of them all! All the big airlines now offer more flights, more amenities and more direct flights and all now at the same cost. I am done flying with SW Airlines. So sorry their greed has completely destroid all that was uniquely attractive about them!

43. Bring back west coast non stop flights. You used to have them. There are also too many 2 stop flights or one stop with outrageous wait times to switch planes. I have a trip booked to fly from the south to the north and my plane switches in Chicago!!

44. Did you expect the iceberg to never melt?

45. Why would a company change their policy, i.e., baggage policy, if they expect to lose $3 billion by doing. So?

46. All of you STOP complaining. You are in the beginning stages of FAA FINDING OUT! From the top down it’s profit over people hatred over tolerance, disrespect over respect, etc The dominoes are falling. You all thought your choices were just going to be confined to POLITICS. Welcome to the new America!

47. Once WN has assigned seats, I’d be willing to try them again. They have nonstops others don’t have from my home airport. But like @Terry Allyn’s problem, I’d need to fly out at 5am or 6pm for one of those destinations.

48. The recent wave of changes at Southwest Airlines isn’t about strategic vision or operational improvement. Let’s be honest: it’s the direct result of pressure from activist investor Elliott Management, a group with a track record of muscling into companies, demanding shakeups, and then walking away with a tidy profit — no matter the long-term cost to anyone else.

    What’s really distressing is the ripple effect these moves will have on the people who actually make Southwest what it is. Employees who’ve built their lives around a company culture that’s famously different, customers who trust Southwest for its reliability and quirks — all of them will be left to pick up the pieces once Elliott has wrung out whatever short-term gains it can find. The airline, once a model of how to do things differently in a brutal industry, will be forced into the same tired mold as every other carrier, all so a handful of investors can cash out and move on.

    This isn’t just a Southwest problem; it’s a flaw in the system. In theory, capitalism rewards innovation and hard work. But in practice, it too often lets financial engineers swoop in, gut a company for fast profits, and then disappear before the consequences hit. The business may survive, but the soul — the thing that made it special in the first place — is gone.

    There’s a word for this kind of behavior: greed. And while it may be legal, it’s hard to see how it’s right. I can only hope that one day, the people who treat companies and communities like disposable assets will face the consequences, whether it’s in the market, in public opinion, or somewhere else.

    Southwest’s employees and loyal passengers deserve better. We all do.