CADEN HAYNOR / NEWS EDITOR

USD students  constantly  weigh  various pros and  cons of  each airline when deciding how to fly  home for  breaks. Each airline has  shifted  its  policies  over the years to adjust their flights’ affordability, structure and extra prices.

Southwest Airlines, which some USD students use to travel domestically, is undergoing changes that have not occurred during its 53 years of service. 

These changes include ending the free checked bags program, eliminating open seating, adding assigned and premium seats and including a “plus sized tax” for passengers  that  need  extra  room.

The  airline  will  also  be  adding and removing certain flights from their route network. Southwest plans to cancel 30 daily routes. Denver and St. Louis will each lose seven  nonstop routes this March, and other various nonstop destinations will be permanently discontinued.

The flight redactions from Southwest  allowed them  to  add   multiple  routes from San  Diego   to  West  Coast  destinations. 

Beginning August 2026,  students  traveling from San Diego  can fly  to  Santa Barbara and   will have more  flight options   from   San   Diego   to    Portland.

USD sophomore Kiera Sheehan, a regular Southwest flier from Denver, reacted to these recent changes.

“Discontinuing seven nonstop flights is absurd granted Denver is such a  big   airport,” Sheehan stated.  “A    lot of  my flights that I have taken from San Diego to Denver have been really full, so I don’t really understand where  they’re  going  with  it from that perspective… I  am finding that the ticket price for  Southwest  is more   expensive  than  other airlines.”

Other airlines are undergoing similar changes. American Airlines has eliminated physical carry-on bag sizers at gates with the goal of streamlining the boarding process. Delta  and  WestJet   are  updating   their carry-on  size limits  and personal item policies this  year, tightening security and baggage rules.

In 2025, multiple airlines have reduced ticket prices, with average airfares down 7.4% over the year according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Delta Airlines, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines are among many that offered lowered and discounted fares this year, contributing to the decline in average airfare prices  over  the  past four years.

Southwest  executives repeatedly called their  trademarked “Bags   Fly Free” policy  a   core  part  of  the   company’s   identity,   promising to never remove it for  their  customers. It  gave  each  Southwest customer two free checked bags each. The policy changed  in  March   2025,   charging  all Southwest  fliers  $35  for   a  checked   bag   and   $45  for  the   second.

Southwest will also end its open seating system in May, adopting assigned seating and offering seats  that are  closer to the front of the plane and with extra leg room. The A, B and  C boarding groups, which order Southwest passengers in a pre-boarding line, will be  eliminated as a result  and  customers  will have   their  seats   assigned   to  them when  they  purchase  their  ticket.

USD sophomore Tate Schwerin, who flies various airlines, including Southwest, on his  trips,   explained   what  he    thinks   about   the   seating   structure.

“Assigned seating is better than what  Southwest was offering beforehand,” Schwerin said. “The previous model was not a perfect, it was a lot more chaotic, but it’s also what Southwest was known for, so at that point what sets them apart? It was also difficult because, with the overhead baggage space, I would always have to sit separate from my overhead baggage. It’s a positive change I think.”

Additionally, the policy  that used to  allocate  a  full refund for a plus-sized passenger that bought   an  extra   seat will be changed.   Critics are calling this change a “plus-sized tax.” 

Effective next month,  any   customer  that does not fit within one seat’s armrests  will   have   to  buy  a  second seat up   front  without  a  guaranteed refund. Currently, no  other major   U.S.   airline  is   explicitly  requiring larger  passengers  who  cannot  fit  a  single  seat’s armrests   to purchase   an  extra   seat  in   advance. 

Sheehan expressed her opinion about this new policy.

“Changing that policy that helps plus-sized people on planes is absurd,” Sheehan said. “I have family members  who  are plus sized and if they can’t get a refund for their extra seat, that really limits their travel. Companies need to be way more supportive of their customers because these changes are not going to help business.”

Policy  alterations  like  that  tax have  shifted  company   earnings in  the past.   Airlines  anticipate  the customer reaction to the  recent  changes throughout this year.

The San Diego International Airport is adding more flights to various areas across the West Coast. Photo courtesy of @sandiegoairport/Instagram