Southwest social post on baggage policy change draws backlash—how a joke backfired

Southwest Airlines has seen a fair amount of turbulence this week. After massive consumer backlash and brand mockery following the carrier’s announcement Tuesday that it was ending its popular free baggage offering, Southwest tried to justify the policy change with a clever social media post that tapped into the playful humor the brand is known for. Instead, the post, which compared the criticism over the suitcase switch to last month’s controversial trade of NBA star Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, attracted even more negativity. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Southwest Airlines (@southwestair) “It’s not like we traded Luka,” Southwest wrote on Instagram Thursday, with an added eye emoji. “We’ve made updates to our bag policy and you’re still going to love flying with us. Here’s why,” the Dallas-based company added, with a slide explaining how only certain customers are able to check bags for free moving forward, Southwest credit card holders and those in the highest level of its loyalty program. The changes take effect May 28. Incidentally, the Mavericks play at American Airlines Center, and the competing airline is an official sponsor of the team. At a time when many U.S. consumers are concerned with rising prices for everyday items such as eggs, federal job losses and overall economic uncertainty, the glib Instagram post appeared especially out of touch, even for Southwest, a brand known for its jokey tone. “Apparently the Southwest social media team was trying to be funny, but it clearly back-fired by creating the unintended equivalency of abandoning a loyal fan base,” wrote Robert Cole, senior research analyst at Phocuswright, a travel-focused market research firm, in an email to Ad Age. “Comparing the gutting of an iconic brand synonymous with Dallas for over five decades with trading a young all-star basketball player that fans believed would be a lifer was, at best, tone-deaf; at worst, a passive-aggressive acknowledgment that the home-team fans don’t matter,” he added. Customer alienation Consumers appeared to agree. “This is such a tone deaf post on the heels of destroying your brand identity and alienating your loyal customers,” read one comment on Southwest’s Instagram post, which received more than 11,600 likes. “Air balling a joke like this after laying off 1,200 people is crazy,” read another, referencing Southwest’s announcement last month that it was cutting 15% of its workforce. Other commenters pointed to Southwest executive comments last year that the free baggage policy was why customers chose the airline. Indeed, on a July call with analysts last year, CEO Bob Jordan spoke at length about the perk. “Just to be real clear on bags-fly-free as a policy, I mean, we’re not looking at this point to change that policy,” he said, adding that “after fare and schedule, bags fly free is cited as the number one issue in terms of why customers choose Southwest.” As recently as April, Southwest was promoting its two-bags-fly-free policy in a Gen Z-focused advertising campaign. Yet a video posted by news outlets on TikTok this week showed Jordan taking a new direction. @wfaach8 Southwest Airlines is dropping its free bags policy. CEO Bob Jordan released this statement about the big change #southwestairlines #swa #dallastexas #dallas #southwest ♬ original sound - WFAA “It’s about adapting to what our customers want,” he said, noting changes in customer preferences post-COVID. “Our DNA isn’t open seating or bags fly free,” he said in the video. Southwest did not respond to a call requesting comment. The baggage change comes after Southwest announced plans to end open boarding on its flights as the company tries to improve sales amid pressure from activist hedge fund investor Elliott Investment Management. The carrier is also still dealing with brand perceptions in the aftermath of its holiday season 2022 snafu. Southwest has been the butt of the joke for other brands all week, with marketers including AriZona Beverages, Aldi and Amtrak posting their takes on the baggage situation. still 99 cents https://t.co/Uu7wMK5EeO pic.twitter.com/u7mS4U7gaL— AriZona Iced Tea (@DrinkAriZona) March 11, 2025 guess we’re the only ones doing free baggage now— Amtrak (@Amtrak) March 11, 2025 @aldiusa At our stores, it's BYOB (bring your own bags). And yes, you can use both free of charge. 😉 #ALDIUSA ♬ som original - Milton - ratomilton The Atlanta Falcons weighed in on the Southwest Instagram post, with a comment that merely listed its hometown airline, Delta Airlines. Cole likened Southwest’s current dilemma to a “classic case of a management team trying to balance the interests of two constituencies—shareholders and customers—with the brand caught in the middle.” He noted that from its 1966 inception, Southwest was known for being “straight shooters,” as passengers knew exactly what kind of travel experience they would get when flying the airline. But Southwest’s pivot erodes the personal and emotional connection—the true loyalty—it spent decades fostering with its customers, Cole suggested. “Paying for bags and seat assignments will have the greatest impact on the families (particularly for infrequent fliers) who patronized Southwest—where the total cost of round trip vacation travel just jumped appreciably,” Cole wrote, adding that other effects will likely include overstuffed overhead bins from the increase in carry-on bags and slower boarding times. 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Southwest social post on baggage policy change draws backlash—how a joke backfired

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