Southwest Now Charges for Bags — But Are Fares Any Cheaper?

Southwest’s “Bags Fly Free” policy is officially history. This was the most drastic change to the airline’s policies, but in addition to charging for bags, the carrier has introduced a basic economy fare for the first time and changed its Rapid Rewards loyalty program.

Before Southwest eliminated its free bags policy, the carrier often charged more than its competitors for the same (or similar) routes. However, for those traveling with a lot of luggage, the price difference shrank or was eliminated after factoring in the cost of baggage on other airlines.

Now that Southwest charges $35 for a first checked bag and $45 for a second (and has introduced a more restrictive basic economy fare type), have its fares decreased? Let’s find out.

What’s Happening With Southwest Fares?

When Southwest flyers could check up to 2 bags for free on any fare class, it was generally accepted that they’d often come out ahead in the end compared to flying other carriers, especially when traveling with many bags, despite Southwest’s sometimes higher fares.

Now that the airline has done away with free checked bags, introduced a basic economy fare type, and more, has it adjusted its fares to account for the additional fees many passengers now have to pay?

It doesn’t seem like it — at least not at the moment. Here’s what we’re seeing.

Did Southwest Fares Get Cheaper?

We dug into a few of Southwest’s most popular routes to see how its fares compare to those of its competitors after its major baggage policy changes went into effect yesterday, May 28.

Our first example is the route between Las Vegas (LAS) and Phoenix (PHX) on November 12, 2025. Southwest and American Airlines are the top carriers on the routes, each offering several nonstop daily flights. Low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines also offers a couple of nonstop flights.

Frontier — which charges even for a carry-on bag — offers flights from $44 one-way, while every American flight costs $77 for a basic economy seat, which includes a carry-on bag.

Southwest charges between $116 and $177 on the route.

Let’s exclude Frontier for the sake of this argument and compare what you’d pay on American and Southwest for a ticket and 1 checked bag before and after the latter’s policy changes.

Even before Southwest’s changes, it would still be cheaper to fly AA — so long as you were traveling with just 1 checked bag. Southwest really shone when you had another checked bag, as American would charge $45 while Southwest would have charged nothing.

Now, however, Southwest is more expensive no matter how many bags you travel with on this flight — $151 all-in versus just $112 for American on the same flight.

This pattern repeats itself across several other examples of flights on the same day in November. The first is another popular Southwest route: Denver (DEN) to Los Angeles (LAX). Several carriers operate this service, including American, Frontier, Delta, Southwest, and United.

American, Delta, and United offer the cheapest fares on the route, starting at $79 for a one-way basic economy ticket. Frontier is next, offering tickets for $99 one-way.

Southwest, meanwhile, is selling tickets for $123.

We can use the same math as above to calculate total prices for each option (excluding Frontier again) for a basic economy fare with 1 checked bag. Note that United basic economy fares do not include a carry-on bag in the price, but a checked bag costs the same $35 (or $40 if you don’t pre-pay for it) as the rest of the legacy carriers and Southwest.

The legacy carriers would charge you $114, whereas Southwest would now charge you $158 to check a bag. Clearly, Southwest is no longer the value play in this scenario.

A similar story unfolds on flights between Chicago (MDW and ORD) and Dallas (DAL and DFW). You can purchase a nonstop basic economy fare on a legacy carrier for as little as $78 one-way.

What’s Southwest charging for its basic economy tickets? $139.

Finally, legacy carriers charge $69 to $151 for a one-way basic economy ticket between Miami (MIA) and the Washington, D.C. (DCA and IAD) area, including Baltimore (BWI).

Southwest wants $130 to $198 for its basic economy tickets.

How You Can Still Get Free Checked Bags on Southwest

Southwest’s policy changes don’t apply to any tickets booked before May 28, 2025, so if you booked a trip before yesterday, you get to fly under the airline’s old rules. However, any flight booked yesterday and beyond is subject to the new policies.

Like with other airlines, it’s possible to get around Southwest’s new baggage fees. If you have Southwest Rapid Rewards A-List elite status, you’ll get 1 free checked bag on flights. If you have top-tier A-List Preferred status, you’ll get 2 on each flight. Also, if you’ve booked a Business Select fare, you’ll receive 2 complimentary checked bags on your flights.

Alternatively, if you hold one of Southwest’s co-branded credit cards, you can check 1 bag for free. These policies — including the fees themselves — largely mirror Southwest’s domestic competitors.

Final Thoughts

Southwest’s policy changes are significant, and they are now officially in effect. Most notable among them is the newly instituted fees for checked bags, something Southwest flyers are not accustomed to.

While the “new Southwest” is still brand-new and things could change in the future, it doesn’t look like the airline has adjusted its fares to better compete with its domestic peers. For now, at least, flying Southwest has become a lot more expensive — especially if you’re traveling with a checked bag.