Southwest Airlines Added Assigned Seats & Bag Fees — And Destroyed The Whole Reason People Flew Them

A Southwest Airlines employee posted a helpful video about the new assigned seating process and bin space issues. She seems lovely and is just doing her job. But the reason people are upset isn't the bin space — it's that Southwest just abandoned the exact thing that made people choose them in the first place. No assigned seats. No bag fees. Affordable. Simple. Gone. And the proof? First 15 rows of paid assigned seats on a full flight — all empty. 00:00 – The Southwest Employee Video On Bin Space 00:45 – She's Not The Problem — The Policy Is 01:15 – What Made Southwest The People's Choice 02:00 – The Full Flight With 15 Empty Paid Rows 02:30 – My Wife Loves Southwest — Here's Why We Used It 03:00 – Why I Never Liked Southwest To Begin With 03:30 – Bag Fees Plus Assigned Seat Fees — What's Left? 04:00 – United Airlines And Alaska Airlines — The Better Options 04:30 – American Airlines Can Absolutely Not 04:45 – Every Chance I Get To Talk Her Out Of It — I'm Taking It This video reacts to a Southwest Airlines employee TikTok explaining the new assigned seating rollout and bin space complaints, and breaks down why passengers are frustrated — not with the process, but with Southwest's fundamental shift away from the open seating, no bag fee model that built their loyal customer base. Topics include Southwest Airlines assigned seating change, Southwest bag fees, bin space complaints, Midway Airport Chicago, airline comparisons including United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, first class and business class availability, and why the changes make Southwest less competitive for budget-conscious travelers. If you follow airline news, travel tips, Southwest Airlines updates, or consumer commentary content, this one makes the case clearly. #TomPowellJr #RealTalk #SouthwestAirlines #AssignedSeating #SouthwestBagFees #AirlineNews #SouthwestChange #TravelTips #AirlineComparison #UnitedAirlines #AlaskaAirlines #AmericanAirlines #MidwayAirport #ChicagoTravel #BinSpace #AirlinePolicy #TravelCommentary #FlightTips #AirlineReview CONNECT WITH ME ON THE FOLLOWING PLATFORMS: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tompowelljr2.... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19ntsL... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tom_powell_... Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompowelljr.... Threads: https://www.threads.net/@tom_powell_j... Substack: https://substack.com/@tompoweljr GET MY SELF-PUBLISHED BOOKS HERE: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mr-Tom-... VISIT MY MERCH STORE HERE: https://the-tom-powell-jr-show.myshop... YOU CAN SUPPORT MY WORK HERE: My CashApp: https://cash.app/$tompowelljr My Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/tompowelljr My PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/TomPowell506 VISIT MY WEBSITE FOR MUCH MORE: https://oldhippiemedia.com/