*Ever since Southwest Airlines traded it’s ‘bags fly free’ policy for money-green pastures, customers have been active in searching for an way to keep the previously popular way to fly alive. And it looks like they’ve found it, courtesy of Southwest itself.
Although the flyer has increased travelers’ bag fees to $35 for their first checked bag, with $45 added for a second, one thing that hasn’t changed is Southwest allowing passengers to bring one carry-on item for free, a practice most other domestic airlines still conduct.
As a result, the creativity is open to use this little fact to its full no-charge potential.
A recent Reddit post mentioned by Men’s Journal provides a look into what some Southwest customers are doing to avoid coming out of pocket for a checked carry-on bag. Let’s just say, it is a very tight situation, with folks trying to put everything but the kitchen sink into the small accessory.
Still, the person who first posted the strategy did it. The evidence is there. The poster shared photos showing the vacuum-sealed bags they used to make their clothes as small as possible. All while trying to fit as much in the bag as possible in the carry-on.
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Detailing the process, the original poster answered those questions of how the passenger would re-pack the bag for a return trip, stating they packed their travel pump for the vacuum-sealed bags. Another Reddit user added that nowadays, the pumps are actually very compact.
“USB powered pump. It’s really compact, smaller than your average smart phone, a Reddit user stated, citing international destinations that the pumps proved handy for. “I used this for a trip to the London, Scotland, and Ireland last year.”
Once the power of the pumps was revealed, other commenters chimed in with suggestions of using packing cubes to make things as compact as possible without vacuum-sealing. Reddit users further mentioned that some packing cubes have more zippers that can make objects even smaller once they are packed.
News of the anti-bag fee strategy comes after Southwest started charging for checked baggage in June, ending its long-time trademarked “bags fly free” policy. As a result of the change, some passengers have had to resort to coming up with ways to keep from footing the bill required the new bag fees.
For what it’s worth, Southwest’s $35 and $45 respective fees fall in line with the baggage fees charged by other domestic airlines.
Still, it is a far cry from the free charge Southwest had for two free checked bags back in the day.
So, what say you? Is it worth all the time and effort to shrink all your belongings to a small size to avoid spending money to check that bag? Or would it be better to just accept the fee change and keep it moving.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB: Shocking! Southwest Airlines Raises Checked Bag Charges to $3
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