The airline industry is constantly evolving, and Southwest Airlines has recently announced some significant changes that will impact how we fly.
The long and the short of it is this: you’re going to earn fewer miles on your cash flights, you’re going to be charged to check bags, and the price you pay for regular ol’ econ seats will be going up (under the guise of cheaper ‘basic’ econ seats being announced).
Checked Bag Fees
While the other 2 pieces of news are big, I think this is the headline that’s grabbing everyone’s attention right now.
This is something brand new to the 54 year old airline, and something previous executives swore up and down would not happen. Well, times change, people change, airlines change, and so do policies for large corporations.
As of May 28, 2025, you’ll no longer receive your 2 complimentary checked bags on the airline unless you purchase specific business class tickets, hold a particular status with the airline, or have one of their credit cards. With checked bag prices reaching at least $35, this means your trip just got a whole lot more expensive. TBD the exact prices we’ll see in May, but I assume they’ll be competitive with what other airlines are currently charging.
Your Tickets Now Earn Fewer Miles
Next up on the list of recent devaluations is the earn rate for Southwest’s most economical class of ticket.
Instead of earning 6x miles per dollar spent on a Wanna Get Away ticket, your earn rate just plummeted to 2x points per dollar. There were changes to the other tiers of tickets, but none as drastic as what we see with the base Wanna Get Away fares.
Coming Soon: Lower Class of Ticket
Oof, we can’t catch a break with Southwest lately!
In addition to the 2 devaluations we’ve already spoken about, the airline is also going to be introducing a new Basic fare with all sorts of new limitations:
Getting to the Point(s)
Unfortunately, Southwest’s downward spiral is in full effect here, and they’re dismantling all the unique characteristics that lead them to have such a dedicated cult following.
I’ve already seen a few comments in thePointsPage Community FB page about how these changes will be forcing families to fly the competition going forward. The pricing is just about the same, but the competition offers better routes and times, fewer layovers, and more options for rebooking if it comes down to that.
I’m curious to see how Southwest performs over the next year once all these changes take place, and if they eventually backtrack (again) once the outrage finally hits them full force. For now, I’ll be sticking with my usual Delta, United, or American bookings for my domestic travel.
Heck, maybe even Spirit if I can find any more of those $100 tickets down to FL for some fun in the sun 😎
Community on Facebook for the latest updates, exclusive content, and vibrant discussions with other like-minded travel hackers. 
