Southwest Airlines Free Checked Bags: How to Qualify Every Flight

Southwest Airlines checked bag fees now apply to most travelers after the carrier ended its long standing two free bags policy on May 28, 2025, leaving only top tier fliers exempt.

Who Still Avoids the Charge

Southwest spent decades marketing itself as the airline that let you check two bags without paying a dime. That pitch is largely gone now. Only Business Select fares and A-List Preferred frequent fliers keep the old perk of two free checked bags. Everyone booking Basic, Wanna Get Away Plus, or Anytime fares now pays to check luggage, joining passengers on nearly every other major US carrier.

Michael Taylor, senior managing director of travel, hospitality, retail, and customer service at J.D. Power, points out that Southwest was built on the idea of standing apart from bigger rivals. Free bags were part of that pitch for years. But he notes that airlines increasingly view giveaways like this as money left on the table, and shareholder pressure has pushed Southwest toward squeezing more revenue from each ticket.

Active duty military members are the one group who keep full fee free checked baggage regardless of fare class, according to Southwest's own policy pages.

What the New Fees Actually Cost

For fare classes that no longer qualify for free bags, Southwest now charges $35 for a first checked bag and $45 for a second one. Extra bags beyond that, plus overweight or oversized items, carry additional charges that can pile up quickly for anyone traveling with more than the basics.

Travelers holding a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card can sidestep some of this. Eligible cardholders get one free checked bag as a cardholder perk, which softens the blow for people who fly Southwest often but do not hold elite status or buy the priciest fares.

How Southwest Stacks Up Against Other Carriers

Once you set Southwest's new fees next to the rest of the industry, the picture looks less dramatic. Taylor says the differences between most legacy airlines' bag fees are minor, and that ultra low cost carriers often charge considerably more once all the add ons are counted.

Those figures reflect standard economy, one way rates as of June 2025. Southwest now lands squarely in the middle of the pack rather than standing out as the obvious budget choice for anyone checking a bag.

One practical detail applies across nearly every airline on that list: paying for checked bags at the time of booking is almost always cheaper than paying at the airport counter or gate, where dynamic pricing tends to push costs higher.

How Travelers Are Adjusting

The shift is already changing behavior. Some fliers are packing lighter or skipping checked luggage entirely to dodge the new charges. Others are turning to services that ship bags ahead of a trip rather than dealing with airline counters at all.

Audrey Kohout, co CEO at Luggage Forward, describes it as a broader shift in how airlines package what used to be free. She expects the shift toward paid add ons to keep pushing travelers toward alternatives like shipping bags in advance, both to save time and to avoid what she calls frustrating sales models built around charging for things that were once included.

What This Means for Booking a Southwest Flight Now

Anyone booking Southwest should check which fare class they are buying before assuming bags fly free. Business Select and A-List Preferred status still carry that benefit, along with active duty military travel. Everyone else needs to budget $35 and $45 for two checked bags, or look at a Rapid Rewards credit card that includes one free bag as a cardholder perk. Comparing those costs against fares on Delta, American, United, Spirit, and Frontier can help determine whether Southwest's overall price, once bag fees are included, still comes out ahead.