southwest airlines
For years, singer-songwriter Sierra Hull has checked two bags of music gear for free as part of a longstanding Southwest Airlines policy allowing two free checked bags per passenger. But when the troubled, cost-cutting airline announced March 11 that it would strike the musician-friendly perk, the bluegrass mandolinist was outraged.
“The policies they’ve changed over the last year or so have made it tougher for musicians,” Hull says. “Now there’s going to be an extra several hundred dollars for most bands just to get where they’re going. Festivals are going to have to start paying the bands even more for the band to even say yes — which means they’re going to have to raise the ticket price.”
The Southwest announcement, coming when touring costs are “definitely staggering,” as one top agent puts it — particularly buses, hotels, food and fuel — has frustrated artists prepping for spring and summer tours, especially in Nashville. “We’ve got dozens of people on the crew that utilize that airline regularly. Most people have one to two bags,” says Bill Orner, manager of Billy Strings, who’s scheduled to headline arenas, festivals and amphitheaters this summer — most of them after Southwest’s policy takes effect May 28. “Think of the financial implications on any given tour. I guess they’ve got a reason for it, but [it’s] certainly not ideal.”
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Although Southwest has yet to announce how much the checked bags will cost after May 28, Brian Ross, manager of Thievery Corporation, Blackalicious and others, estimates that a quartet traveling with two crew members will soon have to pay an additional $35 to $40 for each set of two bags, which adds up to $840 to $960 per round-trip flight. “It’s really bad,” he says. “You get diminishing benefits and increasing fees, and everything is getting like that on airlines.”
A-list touring stars won’t notice an additional $800 to $1,000 in costs, and smaller artists generally drive in vans and buses, meaning mid-level artists who play 1,500-to-2,000-seat theaters will be most impacted by Southwest’s policy change. “It’s a big bummer,” says Kevin Spellman, who manages bluegrass singer Molly Tuttle. He calls Southwest the “airline of choice for the musician community, particularly Nashville artists” — until now — and says artists traveling with a crew of 15 people could lose “a couple thousand dollars” from their bottom line. “If you’re doing really well, you’re trying to aim for 25% of the gross [ticket sales] as your profit margin,” he says. “It starts cutting into it tremendously.”
Reps for Southwest declined to comment, pointing to a company statement at a recent financial conference suggesting the change would lead to “significant new revenue initiatives.” The company took in $73 million from bag fees in 2023, according to the Department of Transportation, a crucial revenue source for an airline that laid off 1,750 employees in February. (Southwest will continue to offer two free bags for “A-List Preferred” customers.)
Some airlines see opportunity in Southwest’s change, although it’s too early to say whether they’ll go after the touring-musician community. On Tuesday (March 25), Frontier Airlines announced it would offer free bags for customers who book flights on its website, as well as “economy bundles” that include a free carry-on and other benefits. Kristi Gordon, owner of Fuzed Travel, which helps negotiate airfare, hotel and vehicle costs for touring artists, predicts top airlines such as American and United will pay close attention to Southwest’s revenue in the first two quarters of 2025 and consider promotions geared to lure the airline’s lost musician customers.
Until then, Gordon advises artists to sign up for frequent-flier programs at a particular airline and build up miles for future discounts. And if she could speak to a Southwest exec who authorized the free-bags policy change? “I would just say: ‘You lost an opportunity to have all the entertainment business.’”
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Southwest Airlines is still struggling to recover from its cancellations during the holiday season, prompting a huge backlash and federal scrutiny of its affairs.
Southwest has been dealing with one of the worst operational meltdowns ever seen in the airline industry, leading to the cancellation of thousands of flights across the United States due to winter storm Elliott which occurred days before the Christmas holiday. Days later, the airline is still struggling to operate flights with crews and pilots left stranded along with passengers, accounting for 90% of U.S. flights canceled dating back to last Friday according to industry watchdog FlightAware.
Despite issuing a promise to rectify the situation which included a personal message from its CEO Bob Jordan, Southwest said in a statement issued Monday (Dec. 26) that it “will continue operating a reduced schedule by flying roughly one-third of our schedule for the next several days.” That move has led to calls for accountability from both passengers and labor unions along with congressional Democrats. The Department of Transportation issued a statement later via Twitter, saying it would examine “if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan” and whether the cancellations could have been avoided.
Those working for Southwest point to the company’s outdated scheduling software and absences due to illness as well as its phone systems. “They’re just not manned with enough manpower in order to give the scheduling changes to flight attendants, and that’s created a ripple effect that is creating chaos throughout the nation,” said TWU Local 556 President Lyn Brown.
“We’ve been having these issues for the past 20 months,” Southwest Airlines Pilot Association President Casey Murray. “We’ve seen these sorts of meltdowns occur on a much more regular basis and it really just has to do with outdated processes and outdated IT.” Southwest was one of many companies that benefited from federal aid during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to Jordan receiving an increased compensation package of over $9 million.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in a Tuesday (Dec. 27) interview with NBC remarked that “this has clearly crossed the line from what is an uncontrollable weather situation to something that is the airline’s direct responsibility.” This followed words from Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Commerce Committee earlier in the day who promised more congressional oversight into Southwest and other airlines’ practices overall.
“Many airlines fail to adequately communicate with consumers during flight cancellations,” she said. “Consumers deserve strong protections, including an updated consumer refund rule.”
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