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Southwest Surveying Customers on Checked Bag Fees, Says Report

Southwest Airlines is conducting customer surveys on possible changes to its free checked bag policy, according to reporting in Bloomberg. This would be another change…

Written by:

Harvey Chipkin

Published on:

August 23, 2024
Southwest Surveying Customers on Checked Bag Fees, Says Report

Southwest Airlines is conducting customer surveys on possible changes to its free checked bag policy, according to reporting in Bloomberg. This would be another change to the airline’s long-held policies such as the recent moves to offering reserved seats, adding a new premium class section and beginning redeye flights.

The company has been surveying select loyalty members and consumers about hypothetical scenarios around bag fees for lower-cost fares. The questionnaire, part of which was seen by Bloomberg and confirmed by the airline, also sought views on travel habits, loyalty status benefits and booking preferences.

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Southwest has long said the bag policy differentiates the carrier from competitors. It is the only major US airline to allow passengers to check two bags at no cost. Bob Jordan, CEO, said on the company’s earnings conference call in April that it wasn’t considering a change then “because people choose Southwest Airlines because we don’t have bag fees.”

The airline told Bloomberg this week that while the questionnaire focuses more on luggage policy than past surveys, it doesn’t reflect an imminent shift. The company continues to survey customers.

“There’s no work currently underway to change our industry-leading two bags fly free policy, but it’s important for us to know what our customers value most,” Southwest said in a statement. “We’ll continue our efforts to track stakeholder sentiment on many aspects of our business model to ensure we remain competitive and current on customer preferences.”

Part of the survey detailed a hypothetical policy in which Wanna Get Away fares, the cheapest, include only a personal item and carry-on bag, while Wanna Get Away Plus has one free checked bag. The higher-cost categories — Anytime and Business Select — would maintain two free checked bags.

Image: Shutterstock

Categories: Air Travel, NewsTags: Air Travel, Southwest

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