The budget airline also strips other benefits for those paying the lowest fares. How to avoid checked bag fees.

Southwest Airlines will start charging passengers to check bags for the first time. It’s a stunning reversal that shows the low-cost pioneer is willing to part with a customer perk executives have said set it apart from rivals in more than half a century of flying in hopes of increasing revenue.

Southwest Airlines will begin charging customers a fee to check bags. It's a significant change for the budget carrier, which built years of advertising campaigns around its policy of letting passengers check up to two bags for free.