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Even though the year is still quite young, it’s not a stretch to say that Dallas has had two earth-shaking news developments in 2025 already. On Feb. 1, the Dallas Mavericks traded transcendent young superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for no apparent (good) reason. For weeks after, it seemed as if nothing could take our full attention away from the debacle that the Mavericks season has become since that undoubtedly ill-fated trade.
But this week, Southwest Airlines, as beloved of a Dallas brand as there is, told the Mavericks to hold their mini bottle of liquor.
On Tuesday, the airline announced it was ending its popular “two bags fly free” policy for all passengers except those who fit into elite, specialized categories. The topic dominated the news on Tuesday, and our Emma Ruby had some choice words for the airline in her piece, “An Open Letter to the Traitors Who Ruined Southwest Airlines.”
“The last year has been death by a thousand private equity cuts for Southwest Airlines, ever since Elliott Investment Management bought a $1.9 billion stake in the company,” Ruby, a lifelong Southwest loyalist, wrote. “Today’s announcement feels like a slash that could kill.”
The article resonated in a major way with readers, becoming the most-read Observer story in a long time. Many of you took the time to shoot us an email about the article and the scorching hot opinions it contained.
Southwest replied to the backlash as well. Not satisfied to leave well enough alone, on Wednesday, the airline’s social media team found it appropriate to belittle the outrage of the masses by posting a note to its Instagram account stating, “It’s not like we traded Luka,” followed by the “looking eyes” emoji. We are not experts in marketing, so we could be entirely wrong to suggest that Southwest’s decision to lightly dismiss its customers’ anger over baggage fees while reminding them of something else they’re really mad about has a whisper of “let them eat cake” about it.
But what do we know? Now, back to those reader responses: Indeed, there were many, and our social media channels filled up with comments as well. Perhaps surprisingly, not all of them shared Ruby’s disdain for the direction Southwest has gone in recent years. One Facebook commenter, for example, told Ruby to “stop being a drama queen.” The overwhelming majority of emails, however, felt our pain and wanted to commiserate.
From John B., a reader from Delaware:
As a lifelong Southwest customer, thanks for saying what needed to be said in the article. To be blunt, We The People Are Pissed and I don’t think these guys have a clue of the customer backlash that is coming. The Southwest customer is among the most loyal of any in American business, period. They are now just another airline that has lost their identity and more importantly their individuality. It’s obvious to me that [Southwest CEO] Bob Jordan caved as he himself said as recently as September that they weren’t touching the free bags. So, he was either a) lying through his teeth at that moment or b) was simply relieved of the authority to make that call.
From an anonymous local reader:
I am a Southwest Airlines employee… I am appalled at this ‘Open Letter’ in regards to MY AIRLINE.
Drew F., a reader from Oklahoma, wrote:
Due to the new baggage policy, I sold the last of my SWA stock today. It’s a sad day for me. I was a very loyal companion pass earner, but now they are just like all the other airlines, even in pricing and many of the connections out of my city are much worse than the other bigs. It’s a very sad day!
From John P. of Dallas:
Like you and many others, I feel as though I need to now check the DMN obituary section for the announcement. It truly feels as though I just lost a very close friend.
Lynn from North Carolina wrote:
I enjoyed your article and I too cut up my SW card yesterday. I studied the SW company in my Educational Leadership doctorate program and [co-founder] Herb [Kelleher] was held in high regard. I fly exclusively SW unless there was no other option. There WAS a difference….until yesterday. Yesterday felt like a personal, gut punch…the death of an incredible loyalty.
Dallas reader Elizabeth V. wrote:
Thank you for expressing what is in my heart and so many others who have been loyal to Southwest Airlines for half a century. I live at Love Field to hear the roar of the engines during takeoff and the sound of maintenance testing the engines at night. I traveled for work for 20 years and my airline was SW.
I flew by the Wright Amendment rules and fought for its repeal. Some of the saddest days in my life were those following 9/11 when there were no planes in the sky. Herb was my hero; I even had a chance to fly with him. He knew all of the employees’ names and spoke to each one directly, asking about personal events in their lives.
His memory was truly amazing. And now, we have another great tradition destroyed by corporate greed who put profits above people. I feel sorry for those flyers who never knew, nor understood, nor will ever experience the joys and happiness of having arrived at their destination with the pure pleasure of traveling a Southwest Airlines flight
Debra D. from Illinois wrote:
Your editorial was well written. Our family’s feelings and opinions exactly. It’s the only airline we have flown in probably the last 15 years, and now they’ve stripped their brand completely apart. I get the part where paying for your seat was necessary; my husband and I always obey the rules and purchase Early Bird check-in for an extra $100/pp for our flight to and from. People ruined that by “Saving Seats.” And the wheelchair miracles that run off the plane once it’s landed. We were okay with paying for where we wanted to sit, as others were skirting the rules. But now with the announcement of the free bags gone – well, so are we. We will be flying other airlines now too.
