Travelers claiming to be Southwest's loyal customers are ringing after the airline announced the changes to popular passenger perks Tuesday.
The Texas-based airline has revealed several changes to its efforts to drive revenue growth and hope for a return to profitable shareholders, Fox Business reported.
These changes include adjustments to the checked bag policy. This will allow all passengers to check the two bags for free.
Southwest has yet to announce which travelers will be charged to travelers, although the third check bag fee is listed on Southwest.com for $150.
The move, released Tuesday, has sparked a strong response from social media travelers, with some even threatening to halt flights in the southwest if they can't receive a free check bag.
“Call it what you do – boycotts, massive Exodus, exile. Can you do it now with a large wave?” one wrote in a Reddit thread in the southwest.
“FFIN's nails,” another wrote.
“This was literally the last reason I still flew southwest. Another user commented in another thread.
“I used to like it [Southwest] Due to lack of luggage charges. Reddit users wrote, if their prices remain the same, they definitely aren't my first choice.
Fox News Digital reached out to Southwest for comment.
Starting May 28th, customers traveling with fast reward A-List priority members and business-selection fares will get two free check bags.
Fast Reward Credit Card Members receive their first check bag for free.
According to a Southwest press release, other customers who do not fall into these two categories will be billed for both check bags.
Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the blog View the Wing, told Fox News Digital, Texas travel industry author Gary Leff said, “It makes sense to be angry in Southwest because we literally announced our intention to reverse our brand promises, and we literally announced our intention to reverse our brand promises.
“They handle it [with] Decades of relationships with customers based on a simple, fair value proposition that they are changing and that their loyal customers feel betrayed.
“For 50 years, Southwest has been a pioneer and heretic and announced that Legacy has ended.”
Other social media users have said they would consider flying with other airlines, even if they were once loyal Southwest customers, but don't think boycotting is the answer.
“I don't boycott. I skipped a lot of SWs, but simply because I had to get to point B from point A. If SW can offer it on a particular trip, it's fine. But now other airlines will be considered more frequently,” commented another Reddit user.
“This is certainly awful, but as everyone has already pointed out, they are now like all other airlines, so it won't help you boycott another person like it. It would be the cheapest fairest and most convenient direct route for me. Based on the airport in my home, it would still be southwest,” the social media user added.
Lev said Southwest once had customer-friendly policies such as flexible re-booking and free check bags that helped distinguish it from other major airlines, but these recent changes seem to have undermined the relationship between the airline and its many of its customers.
“Currently, they are introducing basic economy fares without seat allocation before check-in, despite charging customers who purchase more expensive tickets to such allocations. They earned points on the cheapest tickets. They are introducing checked bag fees. And they are overturning the boarding process,” Lev said.
“They add extra legroom seats at the expense of legroom to standard seats,” he added.
Compared to other airlines, Southwest has amenities such as seatback entertainment screens, high-speed Wi-Fi and seat options with additional legroom, according to Leff.
“If Southwest minimizes differentiating between products and other regions in the industry, while chasing the same model, you'll be behind other airlines,” Lev said.
“In other words, Southwest Airlines is at the bottom of the industry because of the models they are chasing, while abandoning competitive differentiation.”
Daniella Genovese of Fox Business contributed to this report.
