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“I will take “the stupidest move by an airline in 2025” for $1000, Alex.”
Southwest Airlines has a brilliant plan to boost profits and appease those charming activist investors. That plan involves a classic move: alienating the very customers who once championed them and made them famous.
Here in Las Vegas, the second busiest airline at Harry Reid International Airport is making waves by seemingly discarding the very qualities that fostered such loyalty.
Remember “Bags Fly Free“? That killer tagline spoke so well for what Southwesat Airlines was—a different way to fly. Well, prepare for its demise. Starting May 28, 2025, Southwest will be charging for checked bags. Yes, you read that right. Charging for checked bags.
This, in addition to the upcoming “premium” seating and assigned seating starting in Fall 2026, suggests that Southwest is changing—and not for the better.
For years, Southwest cultivated a unique charm, a loyal and growing customer base. They were the quirky alternative, focusing on the little things that other airlines overlooked, and in the process, they built a large and devoted following.
With SOuthwestm you knew what you were getting – a no-frills experience, perhaps a slightly chaotic boarding process, but those famously low fares and free checked bags were the selling points.
Now, it seems Southwest is determined to shed this identity, morphing into just another routine, boring, and stuffy airline, all in the name of the bottom line. This begs the question: With these changes, is there any compelling reason left to choose Southwest over the other guys?
While some might grumble about the free-for-all boarding, many recognized it as part of the trade-off for those budget-friendly fares and the often-amusing flight attendants. You had to concede something for those perks.
However, “Bags Fly Free” was a major draw. Talk to travelers at check-in, and it consistently ranks as the top reason for their preference with Southwest. By eliminating this key differentiator, Southwest risks alienating a significant portion of its loyal base. The sentiment echoing across travel forums this week? A resounding “Hell NO.”
Over the years, Southwest thrived by being different, offering transparency without the need to dissect endless fine print. Now, by abandoning one of its most significant and appreciated distinctions, Southwest is gambling with the very loyalty it painstakingly built.
The question remains: will this transformation truly boost their bottom line, or will they discover that sometimes, the things that make you different are the very things that make you successful?
These drastic changes are primarily aimed at appeasing the new slate of Board members, who are stock market vultures. They came in seeking to spice thign sup. The usually means they also want to exit quickly with a nice profit. Meaning, buy low and make fast changes that make it an easy target for a quick sale.
Who Would Buy Southwest
On the business side of the airline, management never invested in the airline itself. Any back-office improvements or technology upgrades were made only after it was revealed that they were running on outdated technology and using processes that every other airline had abandoned years ago.
In my opinion, their new moves are not to improve Southwest Airlines’ performance or increase its ridership. They are making these changes solely to make Southwest Airlines appear more like every other airline, thereby facilitating the merger of their systems with those of another, stronger airline.
I’m betting they want to sell the airline so the new activist investors can recoup their investment as quickly as possible and never consider the customers who made the airline so successful.
Your Thoughts?
What do you think?
Are you on the “No Free Bags, No Fly” Side?
Was that the last straw, and have you decided not to support Southwest like you used to?
Do you think Southwest is up for sale? If so, Who would be the best suitor?
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