Will Southwest Still Have the LUV?
For decades, Southwest Airlines wasn’t just an airline—it was a relationship. A company that built its entire business model not just around low fares and on-time flights, but around emotional connection. It was different, on purpose. And that difference inspired a loyalty you don’t often see in air travel.
Now, in 2025, Southwest is rolling out some major changes:
Checked bag fees: $35 for the first, $45 for the second, starting May 28
Assigned seats: Coming in 2026, with paid upgrades for premium seating
To most casual travelers, these changes might seem standard. After all, nearly every other airline already charges for bags and assigns seats. But for longtime Southwest loyalists, it feels like something bigger. It feels like the end of an era.
More Than Just a Seat on a Plane
Southwest was always the "Greyhound of the skies" and that wasn’t always a compliment. Open seating, no frills, no first class. But they earned fierce loyalty because they made flying feel personal. People stuck with Southwest not because it was the flashiest or the fanciest, but because it felt different.
You weren’t just a passenger. You were part of a movement.
As one loyalist, @ohheyitsryan, recently posted:
“My first flight ever was with @SouthwestAir, and I’ve been fiercely loyal for 30 years—A-List Preferred, Companion Pass, the whole shebang. But lately, I’ve been booking more with @Delta, not because I want to, but because Southwest is making it nearly impossible to stay loyal… Loyalty should go both ways and it’s just sad now. Herb would be so disappointed.”
He’s not alone. Thousands of customers built their flying habits—and even their travel identities—around the things that made Southwest different: no bag fees, no assigned seats, generous rebooking policies, and employees who genuinely seemed to like their jobs.
So when those very differences start fading, it leaves people asking: Will they still feel the LUV?
Herb Kelleher Knew What Made Loyalty Stick
Herb Kelleher, the co-founder of Southwest, didn’t build his empire on perks and points. He built it on relationships. On care. On fun. He famously said:
“The core of our success… the things you can't buy are dedication, devotion, loyalty—the feeling that you are participating in a crusade.”
He believed customers were smart enough to sense when a company was on their side. And employees? He built a culture that made them feel like family:
“Your people come first, and if you treat them right, they'll treat the customers right.”
“We’re in the service business, and it’s incidental that we fly airplanes.”
This wasn’t marketing fluff. It was a business strategy, and it worked. That loyalty created word-of-mouth evangelists and lifetime customers. It overcame the "Greyhound of the skies" reputation. It allowed people to forgive the cattle-call boarding system. It created real LUV.
So What Happens Now?
Southwest is clearly evolving. Some might say they’re finally “catching up” with other airlines. But that’s the thing—Southwest wasn’t supposed to be like other airlines. That was the entire point.
Now they risk becoming just another airline. Just another seat. Just another fee.
The question isn’t whether these changes will bring in short-term revenue (they probably will). It’s whether they’ll cost something much harder to win back: emotional loyalty. The kind of loyalty that made customers choose Southwest even when it wasn’t the cheapest. The kind that made people proudly flash their Companion Pass. The kind that forgave delays and seat fights because "at least Southwest doesn’t nickel-and-dime us."
That kind of loyalty is rare. And once it’s lost, it’s hard to get back.
And What About the People Behind the Wings?
Imagine being a long-term Southwest team member who’s spent your career helping build that brand, living out that Kelleher legacy of heart and humor. Now, after surviving recent staffing cuts, you find yourself working for just another airline. That’s a blow.
You didn’t sign up to work at a place that nickel-and-dimes customers or feels like it’s slowly fading into the pack. You signed up to be part of a crusade, a story, a culture.
Here’s the hard truth for any business leader reading:
When your frontline team stops believing, your brand is already broken.
This is about more than bag fees or seat assignments. It’s about what gets lost when you stop being who you said you were.
A Business Lesson in Loyalty
To the businesses reading this—especially our friends in small business and service industries—there’s a takeaway here:
Loyalty isn’t just about perks. It’s about emotional connection.
Are you giving people something to believe in, not just something to buy? Are your team members part of something they’re proud of? Are you easy to love—and hard to leave?
Because loyalty, once earned, can carry you through almost anything.
But once it’s gone… it doesn’t come back with a promo code.
🔍 Want to build a business people feel loyal to? Let's talk about insights and strategies that put heart back into how you lead, serve, and grow.
