Southwest Bag Fees and Assigned Seating: What Changed and What It Costs

By the SlickFlight travel desk · Published October 27, 2026 · Facts checked October 27, 2026

Southwest now charges for checked bags and assigns seats, like the other big US airlines. On a ticket booked today, the first checked bag is $45 and the second is $55 unless your fare, status or credit card covers it, and the fare you buy decides whether you choose your seat or get one at check-in.

Both changes are recent. Bag fees started on tickets booked on or after May 28, 2025, and open seating ended for flights from January 27, 2026. A lot of what people remember about flying Southwest no longer applies, so it's worth checking the details before you pick a fare.

The four fares at a glance

Southwest sells four fares, and almost everything in this guide flows from which one you choose.

Carry-on bags are free on all four. Southwest's fee table also lists $0 change and cancellation fees; the catch with Basic is that it can't be changed at all without upgrading.

What checked bags cost now

Southwest has two price lists, split by when the ticket was booked. For flights within the US mainland:

Those prices apply to Basic, Choice and Choice Preferred. Here's who pays less:

• Choice Extra fares: first and second bags free.
• A-List Preferred members: first and second bags free.
• A-List members: first bag free.
• Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers: first bag free, as long as the Rapid Rewards number is on the booking. Southwest extends this to up to eight passengers on the same reservation. The second bag is $55 on newer bookings.
• Active-duty military: all bags free with a valid military ID.

Each bag can weigh up to 50 pounds and measure up to 62 inches in total (length plus width plus height, wheels and handles included). Go over and the extra charges stack on top of the bag fee: $100 for 51 to 70 pounds, $200 for 71 to 100 pounds, and $200 for a bag of 63 to 80 inches.

Southwest lets you check bags digitally and pay standard bag fees after you check in, from 24 hours before departure. If a bag turns out to be overweight or oversized at the airport, Southwest says that fee must be paid with a physical credit card; tap-to-pay and phone wallets aren't accepted.

Flying between the Hawaiian Islands has its own prices. For non-residents on tickets booked or changed on or after April 9, 2026, it's $30 for the first bag and $40 for the second. Hawaii residents with a Rapid Rewards number get two bags free.

Here's the trap: changing an old booking

The April 9, 2026 cutoff isn't only about when you bought the ticket. Southwest's table applies the newer, higher prices to tickets "booked and ticketed and/or changed" on or after that date.

So if you booked a trip in March at the $35 rate and then moved it to a different day, your bags are now priced at $45 and $55. On a family trip with four checked bags each way, that adds up quickly. If you're weighing a change mainly to save a little on the fare, count the bags too.

The same logic caught people when bag fees first arrived: Southwest's April 2025 announcement said fees applied to fares booked and ticketed, or changed, on or after May 28, 2025.

How assigned seating works

Southwest now sells three kinds of seat:

• Extra Legroom: up to five more inches of legroom than Standard and Preferred seats. Southwest notes the full five inches of pitch is on the 737-700.
• Preferred: standard legroom, near the front of the cabin.
• Standard: standard legroom, toward the back.

Which one you get free depends on the fare. Basic passengers are given a Standard seat at check-in and can pay for a Preferred or Extra Legroom seat if one is open. Choice lets you pick any Standard seat when you book. Choice Preferred adds Preferred seats, and Choice Extra lets you choose any seat, Extra Legroom included.

Southwest lists paid seat upgrades at $4 to $250 per flight, per person, so the price swings a lot by route and how full the plane is.

Status and cards change the picture. A-List and A-List Preferred members, and Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers, can choose seats regardless of fare, but the card benefit depends on which card you hold. The Plus card allows a Standard seat within 48 hours of departure, the Premier card a Preferred or Standard seat within 48 hours, and the Priority and Performance Business cards a Preferred or Standard seat at booking.

Boarding groups

Boarding still runs in numbered groups, but your group now comes from your fare, seat type and location, status and card. Choice Extra boards in Group 1, Choice Preferred in Groups 3 and 4, Choice in general boarding, and Basic last. A-List Preferred members board before Group 1, A-List members in Group 1, and Credit Cardmembers in Group 5 if they don't already have an earlier group.

Boarding last on Basic matters more than it sounds. If the overhead bins fill up, your carry-on may end up checked at the gate.

Families: what's guaranteed and what isn't

Southwest says families on the same confirmation number get the same boarding group, and that it works to seat children 12 and under next to at least one adult in the party. That's a commitment to try, not a seat map you can see in advance.

If sitting together matters, the reliable route is a Choice fare or higher, where you can pick adjacent seats while booking. On Basic, seats for the whole family are assigned at check-in or at the gate.

Which fare makes sense

• One person, carry-on only, fixed plans: Basic is built for this. Just accept a back-of-the-plane seat and no changes.
• Checking one bag and wanting to choose a seat: compare Choice plus a $45 bag against Choice Extra with two free bags. On some flights the gap is smaller than the bag fees.
• Plans that might move: Basic can only be changed by upgrading it, and its flight credit expires after 6 months. Choice keeps changes to the fare difference and gives a 12-month transferable credit.
• You might cancel outright: only Choice Preferred and Choice Extra are refundable to your original payment, provided you cancel at least 10 minutes before departure.

Southwest notes it can change these charges at any time, so check the fare details on the booking screen before you pay.

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