Latest news with #BusinessSelect
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's How Much Checked Bags Now Cost With Southwest Airlines — and Who's Exempt From Paying Fees
Southwest Airlines has been an industry disruptor since its formal incorporation in 1967. The low-cost carrier brought innovations such as open seating, free baggage and a famously sunny attitude to the airline industry, attracting legions of followers while helping them save money. Read Next: Learn More: But times have changed since Southwest's heyday, and one of the pillars of its business model — 'bags fly free' — has finally fallen by the wayside. Whether this will ultimately help or hurt the struggling airline remains to be seen. But from a traveler's perspective, here's what you'll need to know in terms of baggage fees and how you might still be able to avoid them. Beginning with flights on May 28 and later, Southwest Airlines will charge $35 for the first checked bag and $45 for the second. However, these fees are just for the general flying public. There are a handful of ways in which you can save money with the airline and avoid the new baggage fees. Here's how. Find Out: The A-List is Southwest's elite tier. You can become an A-List member by either flying 20 one-way qualifying flight segments or earning 35,000 tier-qualifying points. In addition to providing benefits like priority boarding, priority check-in and a 25% earning bonus, you can also fly your first bag free of charge. Your second checked bag will incur a $35 fee. If you're an A-List Preferred member, which requires 40 one-way qualifying flight segments or 70,000 tier-qualifying points in a single year, your second bag is free of charge as well. In either case, these prices apply to up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation. If you hold the Southwest Airlines Rapid Reward Credit Card, your first checked bag will fly free. However, you must include your Rapid Rewards account number at the time of booking. As with the A-List, up to eight additional passengers on your reservation will enjoy the same benefit. Your second checked bag, however, will cost $45. Another way to avoid the new baggage fees on Southwest Airlines is to fly on a Business Select fare. Unlike with the other two options, the airline's business fare comes with two free bags, not just one. However, as it is a specific fare type, it doesn't apply to any companions on the same reservation unless they also purchase the same Business Select fare. Active-duty military customers with a valid, current military ID can fly with two bags free of charge. The imposition of baggage fees at Southwest Airlines was an unwelcome shock to the airline's flyers. But the famously low-cost airline held out to the very end, as it was the last domestic airline to offer two free checked bags for all customers. Still, there are a number of ways the passengers can avail of free baggage, including by earning status on the airline or buying more expensive fares. Otherwise, you may very well end up paying $35 for your first checked bag and $45 for your second when you fly Southwest. More From GOBankingRates 4 Housing Markets That Have Plummeted in Value Over the Past 5 Years This article originally appeared on Here's How Much Checked Bags Now Cost With Southwest Airlines — and Who's Exempt From Paying Fees Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Southwest Airlines Stock Climbed by More Than 5% Today
The company made a significant change to a long-standing policy. This creates a new revenue stream for the carrier, however. 10 stocks we like better than Southwest Airlines › A new pricing regime was the wind lifting Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) stock on Tuesday. On the news that the company is falling in line with a current standard in the airline industry, investors lapped up its shares, to the point where they closed the trading day more than 5% higher in price. That compared most favorably to the benchmark S&P 500's (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) barely over 2% gain. Southwest announced Tuesday it will start levying on its passengers a $35 fee for one checked bag, and $45 for a second. Customers that hold Business Select or Choice Extra premium tickets can check two bags for free, while its A-List and Rapid Rewards credit card holders will be allowed to check one free of charge. The airline carrier is wasting no time implementing this new policy. It added that it will come into force on Wednesday, as it is to apply to flights booked for that day or afterward. This did not come out of a clear blue sky; Southwest announced it would start charging for checked bags back in March. At that time, however, it didn't specify the fees. The move is in line with a long-tail trend with airlines, which have been attempting for years to draw revenue from non-ticket fees. Many flyers opt for the cheapest tickets they can find to a destination; hence the desire by carriers to supplement ticket revenue. Southwest's new bag fees were likely inevitable, given the company's disappointing financial performance recently. It remains to be seen whether the demise of its long-admired free bag check policy will lead to a defection in regular customers. I wouldn't imagine so, as travelers tend to grudgingly accept new fees such as this if their overall flight costs remain comparatively modest. Before you buy stock in Southwest Airlines, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Southwest Airlines wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $639,271!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $804,688!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 957% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 167% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Southwest Airlines. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Southwest Airlines Stock Climbed by More Than 5% Today was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Southwest Airlines Starts Charging for Checked Bags
Southwest Airlines has implemented their bag policy change that was announced in March, now charging fees for checked bags on flights booked Wednesday or later. This marks the end of the airline's long-standing 'bags fly free' policy, which had set the airline apart from competitors for decades. Southwest revealed to customers on Tuesday that moving forward, it will charge $35 for a first checked bag and $45 for a second, applying the usual weight and size restrictions. Though most passengers will be charged, Southwest will continue to honor its two-free bag policy for select groups, including Rapid Rewards A-List preferred members and those flying Business Select. A-List members and Rapid Rewards credit card holders will receive one free checked bag. There are a few other changes taking effect on Wednesday, according to Southwest's announcement in March, including a basic fare being attached to its lowest-priced tickets, and a rule that portable-chargers be used in plain sight of the flight crew to prevent lithium-ion battery fires. Southwest still has a few changes planned for the future, including phasing out its signature open-boarding system. The airline expects to begin assigning seats to passengers by next year.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Southwest Airlines Finally Reveals How Much Baggage Fee Will Cost
In March 2025, Southwest Airlines announced the controversial decision to ends its decades-old "two bags fly free" policy for checked luggage. "For reservations booked and ticketed or changed on or after May 28, 2025, checked baggage fees will apply. We will offer two free checked bags to our Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred Members and Business Select Customers, and one free checked bag to A-List Members and other select Customers. Southwest will credit the first checked bag for Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers," the airline said in a statement at the time. After announcing the move two months ago, Southwest Airlines chose not to announce how much the new bag fee would cost - until now. On May 26, CNBC reported the airline will start charging $35 for the first checked back and $45 for the second. While most travelers will have to pay, Southwest is still offering its two free bag policy for Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred Members and passengers traveling in Top-tier fare class, formerly Business Select. A-List Members and Southwest credit card holders will also get one free checked bag. Passengers will be allowed one carry-on bag and one personal item per flight. Rules stipulate checked bags must weigh no more than 50 pounds and measure no more than 62 inches in total dimensions. In addition to bag fees, Southwest Airlines is also doing away with its normal boarding process. "These changes add to the initiatives already underway at Southwest, including the forthcoming implementation of assigned seating and extra legroom options and an initial industry-standard airline partnership with Icelandair that began on February 13, the same day the carrier's first-ever scheduled overnight redeye flights launched," the company Airlines Finally Reveals How Much Baggage Fee Will Cost first appeared on Men's Journal on May 27, 2025
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Southwest Airlines drop free checked bags after 50 years: Here's how much travelers will have to pay
Southwest Airlines is shaking up its travel policies by eliminating free checked bags, a move aimed at boosting revenue. Announced earlier this year, the change brings the carrier's baggage fees in line with major competitors like Delta and American Airlines, marking a shift in strategy for the low-cost operator. Also Read: Walmart plans to open 5 new stores and one Sam's Club: Check out the new locations Southwest Airlines has announced it to pull back its free checked bags policy after more than 50 years. On Tuesday, May 27, the airlines revealed that the budget airline will now charge $35 for a customer's first checked bag and $45 for their second checked bag. The policy revocation has left travellers disappointed as the free checked bags differentiated the airlines from their competitors, as reported by mLive. However, it continues to offer the perks to guests with A-List Preferred status, or those purchasing a Business Select fare still receive two free checked bags. Additionally, travelers holding a Southwest credit card or A-List status in the Rapid Rewards program are entitled to one free checked bag per flight. Also Read: PlayStation Plus June 2025 games announced early by Sony: See the full lineup According to the Associated Press reports, the company has estimated that the service charge will earn them a revenue of $1.5 billion annually. However, the airlines also noted that it will also face a loss of $1.8 billion in business as customers opt other airlines after the change in policy. The budget airline is set to make even further changes as it will soon begin to assign seats. It means that the open boarding system, which was in place for more than 50 years, will also cease to exist. There has been no announcement as to when the switch will happen. Southwest's Rapid Rewards program is also getting an overhaul, with enhanced perks for travelers who purchase Business Select fares or hold higher-tier status. Meanwhile, members buying lower-cost tickets will see a reduction in the number of rewards points they earn.
