Although here in Yakima we only have access to Alaska Airlines and nearby in Tri-Cities we have a couple more options with Alaska being Delta, United, and a couple of others. Southwest Airlines is one of the more popular airlines in the United States. Here in Washington we do have Southwest Airlines when flying out of Spokane (GEG) and Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) so it’s nice when you’re wanting to fly direct to one of their nonstop destinations or hubs if it saves money on travel like if you’re trying to fly to a place like Oakland, San Jose, or where ever your final destination may take you.

Southwest Airlines just announced a change that has many travelers upset.
What did Southwest Airlines Change?
Beginning in May, they’re doing away with the free checked bags and will now start charging a fee with their basic flight ticket.
The free checked bags was a huge incentive for travelers to choose to fly Southwest Airlines. So many other airlines already charge for bags so now that Southwest will be the same as others, the incentive isn’t there as much as it was before.
There are ways around this as well.
If you’re a loyal flyer with Southwest Airlines in their loyalty program, have an upgraded ticket (like first class or even business class) or have the Southwest Airlines credit card, you’ll at least get your first checked bag free.
Naturally, there are other options for flights in and out of Washington State but a huge draw to Southwest was the free checked bags. This is going away this May unless you get that Southwest credit card.
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