Southwest Airlines customers sound off over airline ending free checked bag policy: 'Nail in the coffin'
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Travel expert says customers are angry after Southwest 'reverses their brand promise'



Southwest Airlines has announced it will no longer offer two free checked bags to all customers, and airline passengers are venting their frustration. (iStock)

"Call it what you will — boycott, mass exodus, defecting. Can we do that in a massive wave right now?" one person wrote in a Southwest Reddit thread.

"This was literally the last reason I still flew Southwest. Now it's just Spirit with different colors," another user commented in a different thread.

"I used to favor \ for the lack of baggage fees. They definitely will not be my first choice if their prices stay the same," a Reddit user wrote.

Fox News Digital reached out to Southwest for comment.



Southwest Airlines is ending its customer-friendly policy in an effort "to drive revenue growth and return to a level of profitability that shareholders expect," FOX Business reported. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

"They have dealt \ a decades-long relationship with customers based on a simple and fair value proposition that they are changing, and loyal customers do feel betrayed.

"For five decades, Southwest has been a pioneer and a maverick, and they've announced that legacy has ended."

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"It makes sense to be angry at Southwest because they have literally announced an intention to reverse their brand promise, that they have promoted as ‘transfarency’ regarding lack of fees or charges for checked baggage," Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the blog "View From the Wing," told Fox News Digital.



Southwest Airlines travelers are sharing their reactions to the end of free checked bags. (iStock)

Other social media users said they will consider flying with other airlines, even though they were once loyal Southwest customers, but they do not think a boycott is the answer.

"I won't boycott. I've flown SW a lot — but simply because I had to get from point A to point B — and SW could often provide that to me at the cheapest rate and/or the most convenient times and routes. If SW can still provide that on  then fine. But, now other airlines will be considered more often," another Reddit user commented.

"Sure this sucks, but like everyone has already pointed out, they’re like every other airline now, so no use in boycotting for another just like it. It’s going to come down to cheapest fair, and most convenient or direct route for me. Based on my home airport, it’s likely going to still be Southwest," a social media user added.



Leff said Southwest once had customer-friendly policies like flexible rebooking or its  which helped differentiate it from the other major airlines, but these recent changes appear to have damaged the relationship between the airline and many of its customers.



Gary Leff, a travel expert, says Southwest's customer-friendly baggage policy was the carrier's competitive difference in the industry. (iStock)

"Now they're introducing basic economy fares that will not come with seat assignments prior to check-in, even as they charge fees for such assignments to customers buying more expensive tickets. They've reduced points-earning on the cheapest tickets. They're introducing checked bag fees. And they're upending  Leff said.

"They will be adding extra legroom seating at the expense of legroom in standard seats," he added.



Leff said, compared to other airlines, Southwest lacks some amenities, like seat-back  fast Wi-Fi and seat options with extra legroom, all of which may discourage travelers from purchasing a ticket with the carrier.



Loyal Southwest Airlines customers are sharing their concerns after the airline decided to end its customer-friendly baggage policy. (iStock)

"At the same time that Southwest minimizes the differentiation between their product and the rest of the industry, they will be behind other airlines as they chase that same model," Leff said.



"In other words, Southwest Airlines is giving up its competitive differentiation while positioning itself at the bottom of the industry for the model they're chasing."

_FOX Business' Daniella Genovese contributed to this report._

Sydney Borchers is a lifestyle production assistant with Fox News Digital.
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