Southwest Airlines Baggage Fees vs. Competitors, Which Saves You More?

The "Two Free Bags" Illusion Why Southwest Still Wins for Most Travelers

Let’s cut through the marketing noise. Every major U.S.

airline—Delta, United, American—now charges $35–$40 for the first checked bag and $45–$50 for the second. Southwest Airlines famously includes two free checked bags with every ticket.

That sounds like a slam dunk, but here’s the reality check: the "free bags" only save you money if you actually check bags. If you’re a carry-on-only traveler who packs light with a Packing Cubes Set inside a Carry-On Luggage Southwest Size, you might never use that perk.

However, the average leisure traveler checks at least one bag. A family of four flying round-trip on another airline pays $280–$320 just for checked luggage.

On Southwest, that’s $0. The airline’s all-Boeing 737 fleet means overhead bin space is consistent, but the real savings come from the baggage fee waiver.

Southwest’s website explicitly promotes "low fares" with bags free, and the Wikipedia entry confirms the airline operates as a low-fare carrier. There is no hidden fine print—bags fly free.

But here’s the twist: Southwest’s base fare is often $20–$50 higher than a competing ultra-low-cost carrier like Spirit or Frontier. So you must calculate total cost.

If you check two bags on Spirit, you’re paying $70–$100 each way. Suddenly, Southwest’s higher fare plus free bags becomes cheaper.

For solo travelers who never check bags, competitors like American or Delta might offer a lower base fare—but only if you ignore their $35 first-bag fee. The honest analysis: Southwest’s "two free bags" is not an illusion; it’s a genuine value for anyone checking luggage.

And for carry-on warriors, the Digital Luggage Scale becomes your best friend to avoid overweight fees elsewhere—but Southwest has no weight limit on checked bags, only a 50-pound per bag limit.

Airline	First Checked Bag Fee (Round Trip)	Second Checked Bag Fee (Round Trip)	Notes
Southwest	$0	$0	No weight restriction beyond 50 lbs
Delta	$70	$90	First bag $35, second $45 each way
United	$70	$90	Same as Delta
American	$70	$90	Same as Delta
Spirit	$70–$100	$80–$110	Varies by route and booking time

The data is clear: for anyone checking one or two bags, Southwest saves you $70–$190 per round trip compared to legacy carriers. That’s not a marketing gimmick—it’s math.

The baggage policy alone makes Southwest the better choice for families, road warriors, and anyone who doesn't want to play Tetris with their Packing Cubes Set to avoid fees.

The Open Seating Trade-Off Are You Paying for Chaos?

Southwest is the only major U.S. airline that still uses open seating (no assigned seats).

Passengers board in groups A, B, or C based on check-in time. This system has a direct impact on your baggage strategy.

If you board late, overhead bin space may fill up, forcing you to gate-check your Carry-On Luggage Southwest Size bag for free. That’s a benefit—free gate-checking—but it means your bag is now separated from you for the flight.

This is where travelers make a critical mistake. They think open seating saves time, but the reality is that it creates a boarding lottery.

You can pay $15–$25 for EarlyBird Check-In to guarantee an A group spot, but that adds cost. If you’re already paying for a checked bag fee elsewhere, the EarlyBird fee is a bargain.

But if you’re comparing Southwest to a legacy carrier with assigned seats, you must factor in the stress of scrambling for a spot. Here’s the brutal truth: open seating punishes families and groups who want to sit together.

A family of four arriving at the gate 30 minutes before boarding might end up scattered across the plane. Meanwhile, American or Delta allows you to select seats together at booking (often free for standard seats on domestic flights).

The trade-off is clear: Southwest saves you money on bags but costs you convenience and seating certainty. The Yelp reviews show an average rating of 2.8 out of 5 from over 14,000 reviews, suggesting that many customers are dissatisfied—likely due to boarding chaos and customer service issues.

Feature	Southwest	Delta/United/American
Seating	Open (no assigned seats)	Assigned seats at booking
Boarding groups	3 groups (A, B, C)	Up to 9 groups (premium to basic)
Cost for better boarding	$15–$25 EarlyBird	Free with premium seats or status
Family seating	No guarantee	Can select adjacent seats

The stance: Southwest’s open seating is a downgrade for anyone who hates uncertainty. If you value your sanity and want to sit with your travel companions without paying extra, a legacy carrier with assigned seats is better—even if you pay a checked bag fee.

But if you’re a solo traveler who checks in exactly 24 hours before departure, open seating is manageable. The Digital Luggage Scale won’t help you here, but a Packing Cubes Set can speed up repacking if you need to gate-check.

Route Network and Frequency When Southwest Traps You

Southwest serves over 100 destinations in the U.S. and 10 countries in the Caribbean and Mexico, per the Wikipedia entry.

That sounds comprehensive, but the reality is that Southwest’s network is heavily skewed toward secondary airports. For example, in Los Angeles, Southwest flies to LAX, but also to Burbank, Long Beach, and Ontario.

In Chicago, they use Midway, not O’Hare. In Dallas, they use Love Field, not DFW.

This is a double-edged sword. Secondary airports often mean less congestion, cheaper parking, and faster security lines.

But they also mean fewer flight options and limited connectivity. If you live near a major hub like Atlanta (Delta’s fortress) or Charlotte (American’s fortress), Southwest may have zero or limited service.

The airline’s all-Boeing 737 fleet also means no wide-body planes for long-haul international routes—they don’t fly to Europe, Asia, or South America (only Caribbean and Mexico). For the traveler comparing baggage fees, the route network is a silent cost.

You might save $70 on bags with Southwest but pay $100 extra for a connection or a longer drive to a secondary airport. The math changes.

A Carry-On Luggage Southwest Size (standard 24-25 inch) is fine on all Southwest flights, but on a competitor like Delta, you might need a smaller bag for their stricter size limits. Always measure your bag before flying—a Digital Luggage Scale can prevent surprise fees.

Route Type	Southwest	Delta
Major hub (e.g., Atlanta)	Limited or no service	Extensive
Secondary airport (e.g., Midway)	Primary hub	Limited
International (Europe/Asia)	Not served	Full network
Caribbean/Mexico	Yes (10 countries)	Yes (more destinations)

The hard stance: Southwest’s route network is a constraint, not a feature. If you live in a city where Southwest is the dominant carrier (like Dallas, Houston, or Chicago), the baggage savings are real.

But if you’re in a Delta or American hub, Southwest is often a worse option because of connectivity. Don’t let free bags blind you to route limitations.

The best airline for you is the one that actually flies where you need to go.

Customer Service and Reliability The 2.8-Star Reality Check

Southwest Airlines has an average Yelp rating of 2.8 out of 5 from 14,409 reviews. That’s a D+ grade.

The majority of customers are "generally dissatisfied," according to the Yelp data. This is a massive red flag when comparing baggage fees.

Why? Because a cheap bag fee is worthless if the airline loses your bag, cancels your flight, or treats you poorly.

The Yelp reviews don’t specify the breakdown of complaints, but common themes in airline criticism include delays, cancellations, and poor customer service. Southwest’s Wikipedia page mentions no operational statistics—no on-time performance, no mishandled baggage rates.

The absence of data is telling. If Southwest had stellar numbers, they’d be plastered everywhere.

Instead, the Yelp rating suggests that the low-fare model comes with trade-offs: less legroom, fewer amenities, and a customer service team that may not prioritize you. Compare this to Delta, which historically has better on-time performance and customer satisfaction scores.

Delta charges for bags, but they also have a better track record of getting you to your destination on time. The question becomes: would you rather save $70 on bags but risk a 2.8-star experience, or pay $70 more for a 4-star airline?

Metric	Southwest (Yelp)	Delta (industry data)
Customer rating	2.8 / 5	Typically 3.5–4.0
Number of reviews	14,409	Varies by platform
Common complaints	Boarding chaos, delays	Bag fees, overbooking
Baggage handling	Not specified	Above average

The verdict: Southwest’s low baggage fees are a trap if you value reliability. The 2.8-star rating indicates systemic issues.

A Digital Luggage Scale helps you avoid overweight fees, but it can’t fix a canceled flight. If you’re a budget traveler who can tolerate delays and chaos, go for Southwest.

If you need to be somewhere on time, pay for a legacy carrier and accept the bag fee as a cost of doing business.

Your Decision Matrix Calculating True Cost Per Trip

Stop comparing base fares. Start comparing total trip cost.

Here’s the framework you need to use before booking any flight:

Step 1: Determine your baggage needs.

• Do you plan to check one bag? Two? Zero?
• Are you willing to use a Carry-On Luggage Southwest Size and pack light with a Packing Cubes Set?

Step 2: Check Southwest’s base fare vs. the competitor’s base fare.

• If Southwest is $50 more than Spirit, but Spirit charges $70 for a checked bag round trip, Southwest wins.
• If Southwest is $30 less than Delta, but you’re checking two bags, Southwest wins by $110.

Step 3: Add the cost of EarlyBird Check-In ($15–$25) if you want a decent boarding position.

• This only applies if you care about seating or bin space.

Step 4: Factor in route convenience and time.

• Is Southwest’s secondary airport closer or farther than the competitor’s hub?
• How much time (and money) will you spend on ground transportation?

Step 5: Assign a value to reliability.

• If your trip is non-negotiable (wedding, funeral, business meeting), the 2.8-star Yelp rating should push you away from Southwest.
• If you’re flexible and want the lowest price, Southwest is fine.

Scenario	Southwest Total Cost	Delta/United Total Cost	Winner
Solo, 1 checked bag, flexible	$200 base + $0 bag = $200	$180 base + $70 bag = $250	Southwest
Family of 4, 2 checked bags each, tight schedule	$800 base + $0 bags = $800	$720 base + $560 bags = $1,280	Southwest
Solo, carry-on only, needs assigned seat	$200 base + $25 EarlyBird = $225	$200 base + $0 bag = $200	Delta
Business traveler, 2 checked bags, needs reliability	$400 base + $0 bags = $400	$380 base + $140 bags = $520	Southwest (but reliability risk)

The final action: Open a spreadsheet. Plug in your specific numbers.

Don’t rely on gut feel or marketing claims. Southwest’s baggage policy is the best in the industry for checked bags, but the airline’s 2.8-star rating and open seating are real downsides.

If you check bags and don’t care about seating, book Southwest today. If you carry on and value reliability, pay the fee elsewhere.

Your wallet—and your sanity—will thank you.

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