Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (32533/2294) N280WN "Penguin One" rolls for takeoff on Rwy 19R at John Wayne Orange County Airport (SNA/KSNA) on September 7, 2013.
(Photo by Michael Carter)
Southwest Airlines in a blog Wednesday touted its new status as the only domestic carrier not to charge a fee for checked baggage, after JetBlue Airways said it would begin charging.
Southwest carries more passengers from Chicago than any other airline.
Did you hear the news today? Feeling a bit blue, perhaps, at the thought of yet another bag fee out there?" wrote Southwest Chief Revenue Officer Bob Jordan.
"Don't fear — Southwest Airlines has your back, and your bag — and you can take great comfort in knowing that bags fly free for all at Southwest.com! Today, we stand alone as the only domestic airline that can say that."
JetBlue Airways announced Wednesday that it will charge certain customers for their first checked bag, yielding to pressure from analysts who criticized the airline for not adding fees in step with other carriers.
At a presentation to investors Wednesday, JetBlue discussed its three new fare families, including a discount class that does not come with a free checked bag. The airline estimates this will reap about $65 million in 2015 and about $200 million total within several years.
The New York-based airline also said it will add more seats to its fleet of Airbus A320 planes while maintaining leg room for passengers.
Jordan wrote that Southwest doesn't charge for the first two checked bags because "our customers hate those fees. For us, we think it's pretty logical that if you're going on a trip, you just might want to pack some clothes in a bag to take along with you."
(Gregory Karp - Chicago Tribune)
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