*Say it ain’t so. Southwest Airlines has gone to the dark side with charging $3 to check bags at the curb.
View From The Wing reports the unannounced change is among a slew the airline is already doing such as imposing basic economy restrictions on tickets; planning to start charging for seats; and expiring travel credits. The changes come after Southwest fired all of its Skycaps, the employees who assist with curbside check-in, in a move designed to save on labor costs by outsourcing to a third party.
When questioned on whether Southwest might start charging a fee per bag checked in curbside, the airline took issue with it, saying they did not charge for checking bags curbside in the cities where they already outsourced curbside check-in.
How times have changed for Southwest, the airline that marketed ‘transfarency’ – the idea that your ticket price is the full cost of your travel .
American Airlines looks to have planted the seed for Southwest with discovering they could get a third party to provide curbside check-ins and split the fees with them.
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Both companies currently outsource their work to a vendor called Bags, Inc.
The move conflicts with the very thing that attracted fliers to Southwest. The Dallas-based carrier started out as a “simple short haul carrier with friendly staff and friendly policies.” That strategy proved successful with it being “the most consistently profitable airline in history and the model for low cost carriers around the world.”
It wasn’t until the pandemic that things changed as profits lessened as folks were coming out of it. With that came a whole ‘nother mind state for Southwest when it opted to follow the leader rather than continue being the leader. American, JetBlue and now Southwest. All on the same team to get as much as they can from fliers who benefited from affordable travel rates to travel. What happened to competition?
So, what say you? Do you think Southwest has sold out with following other airlines in charging for curbside service to get your bags or is it just a sign of them conforming to the new norm in air travel for those who can afford it.
Scroll below to weigh in with your thoughts:
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB: Did Southwest Just Commit Business Suicide by Killing it’s Bags Fly Free Policy? | WATCH
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