Southwest Announces Negative Changes to Baggage Policy, Fares, Awards And More

Watch Us On YouTube! NEW: Chapters are listed at the bottom of the notes! If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! Southwest dropped some news this week, and it was all uniformly bad. These were not small changes, and many customers will be upset. "Bags Fly Free" is no longer a surety on Southwest.   Many customers, including those that don't have elite status or a credit card with the airline, will now pay for checked bags. Fares are getting more restrictive, award flights are getting more expensive, flight credits will now expire.   It's really not good news. Julian Kheel fills in this week to go through all the changes.   As the founder of Points Path, he's also the sponsor of our giveaway this week. Be sure to weigh in with your thoughts on the Southwest changes for a chance to win!   Chapters:   0:00 Intro 2:25 Southwest Changes 8:46 Devil's Advocate 15:03 Southwest Falls Short vs. Legacy Carriers 23:05 Poll Questions 24:22:00 The Effect on Leisure Travelers 26:23:00 Future of the Companion Pass 30:52:00 Outro     If you want to support the show, you can subscribe to our private community. We have semi-monthly video Happy Hours where you'll get access to Ed and other travel experts. You'll also get to join the discussion with other members on a host of issues on our private message boards.   If you're looking for a way to support the show, we'd love to have you join us in our Travel Slack Community.  Join me and other travel experts for informative conversations about the travel world, the best ways to use your miles and points, Zoom happy hours and exciting giveaways. Monthly access Annual access Personal consultation plus annual access We have witty, funny, sarcastic discussions about travel, for members only. My fellow travel experts are available to answer your questions and we host video chats multiple times per month. See More: https://milestogo.boardingarea.com/ Follow Us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milestogopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@milestogopodcast Ed Pizza: https://www.instagram.com/pizzainmotion/ Richard Kerr: https://www.instagram.com/kerrpoints/