Survey: 2 Out of 3 Loyal Southwest Fans Are Now Booking on Other Carriers

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Every travel-related entity out there has written about the upcoming Southwest changes ad nauseam. And to be perfectly honest, we here at Your Mileage May Vary are no exception to that. But if you think about it, most things being reported right now are just speculation.

Well, Southwest is, of course, explaining what’s happening – all the changes that have already taken place or are going to happen in the not-too-distant future – and how wonderful it’s going to be for everyone because there will be huge seats in front, and people will get to choose what seat they’re in, and yadda yadda yadda. And certain entities just repeat that.

But the rest? The analysts, the travel blogs, etc? We—and others—are all trying to interpret what we THINK these changes mean.

• The airline that prided itself on being different will be like all the rest
• Seats in economy will be smaller, so they can squash in more expensive seats in the front
• Prices are going to increase for typical flyers because of charges for checking bags and choosing seats

But there’s been very little said about what all of Southwest’s changes will actually mean, in black and white; it’s all thinking what’s going to happen as a result of all of these changes. That would make sense, since most of the updates—like extra charges—haven’t happened yet.

I mean, Southwest has put on a big smile with its rose-colored glasses and explained how wonderful the “new and improved” Southwest is going to be. Well yeah, maybe for their frequent flyers, with SW-branded credit cards. But for everybody else? The people who fly once a year, and always in the back? The ones who don’t have a card that will reimburse them for traveling expenses? We just got a small hint that things for Southwest might not be so wonderful in the future.

Thrifty Traveler’s survey

Thrifty Traveler is a company that offers a free and premium subscription service for finding flight deals. The premium subscription includes cheap cash fares, mistake fares, and points-and-miles flight deals. The service covers more than 200 airports in the US and Canada, and users can tailor their alerts to specific airports and travel dates. We’ve admittedly never used Thrifty Traveler, but we know they’ve been around since 2015, have continued to expand, and typically get decent reviews, so they must be doing something right.

Anyway, Thrifty Traveler recently conducted a survey with travelers, specifically about Southwest Airlines and its free baggage policy. Here’s how they explained it:

Thrifty Traveler conducted an online survey between May 5 and June 21, 2025, to gain insight on travel sentiment. A total of 670 individuals responded, consisting of subscribers of its free and paid travel news and flight deal newsletters. The survey was voluntary and consisted of multiple choice and open-ended questions related to travel plans and specific airline policy changes.

The results of the survey were probably not surprising, at least to anyone but Southwest Airlines.

As it turned out, roughly two-thirds of travelers who said they regularly fly Southwest are now considering flying on other carriers—or have already booked with them—as a direct result of the airline’s baggage policy change.

Of the respondents who said they were regular Southwest customers, only 33 percent reported that they continue to book travel with Southwest as they have always done.

Two-thirds!

Obviously, their sample was very, very small. And since Thrifty Traveler isn’t a marketing research company, they didn’t include all of the hallmarks of a “real” survey (I worked in marketing research for 5 years – I know of what I speak). That being said, even this small sample shows that their customers – the ones who have their butts in the seats of the BACK of the plane, who DON’T get the fancy shmancy seats in the front – are very concerned about Southwest’s future practices.

It’s a small sampling, but it’s something Southwest should maybe consider – all these changes, which, despite the airline’s attempts at spin, are not popular. Somewhere down the road – perhaps not very far down the road – it could come to bite them in the butt.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary