Southwest Airlines Ditches Major Perk, Becoming Like Every Other Airline

Southwest Airlines holds the copyright for "bags fly free"; however, it won't have any use for that intellectual property now.

Customers will now have to go without their favorite perk of flying Southwest- and we will all be fighting for overhead bin space.

According to ABC 11, the move will begin May 28th of this year for most customers, but "A-List loyalty program or those traveling on a business fare will be exempt from the fees."

Bags flew free on Southwest for 60 years of the airline's history.

This move comes shortly after the end of open seating on Southwest Planes. So now, nearly everything that made Southwest different is coming to an end.

Free checked bags were more than just a perk for customers; it was also a major time saver.

There are costs, and not just revenue, that come from charging for bags. It slows the time it takes to load a plane as passengers take more time to look for space in overhead bins for carry-on bags. Also, some bags have to be moved from the cabin to the cargo hold once there is no longer any room available in the overhead bins.

I always fly Southwest to my grandmother's house, in part because of the free bags. Grandmas always want to send you home with piles and piles of treasures and gifts, and it always includes an extra suitcase to house them in.

I'm sure I will fly Southwest again, but it will be a different experience going forward- one in which I am not rewarded for checking in early but have an assigned seat (okay I forget to check in, so this may benefit me) and one in which I might have to slow grandma down on the gifts.

Can I still have my cup of cranberry juice? Or will that come with a surcharge now, too?