Southwest Airlines is ending its long-standing free checked bag policy for most passengers. Here are the details.

The Dallas-based airline set itself apart from others for years by offering all customers two free checked bags. This marks another departure from one of Southwest's core features after the airline announced it was moving to assigned seating instead of open seating in July 2024.

Southwest Airlines will begin charging customers a fee to check bags. It's a significant change for the budget carrier, which built years of advertising campaigns around its policy of letting passengers check up to two bags for free.