Southwest Drops Free Baggage, Fees Soar

0:00It's April 8th, I'm Cory with the story, and this is Dallas News Today, local news powered by AI. Airlines are jacking up checked baggage fees left and right, mainly because fuel prices are skyrocketing. Southwest just bumped their first bag charge by $10 to $45. That's a 28% jump, and the second bag now runs, $55. Southwest ditched their famous bags fly-free policy last year, and now they're joining Delta, United and JetBlue in this fee frenzy across the industry. Travelers are feeling the pinch, with some loyal Southwest fans saying they've stuck with the airline for over 10 years, but might rethink that now. Others get it, blaming the economy and gas prices, even using credit cards to dodge the extra hit. Experts point out jet fuel costs have doubled, and airlines can't eat all that. It's a trend that'll stick around since prices won't drop quick after. Global tensions kicked off. As these add-ons blur the lines between carriers, flyers are packing smarter and watching every dollar to keep trips affordable.