South

Southwest flyers fire back over airline ending free checked bag policy: 'Nail in the coffin'

Published

1 year ago

March 15, 2025

Southwest flyers fire back over airline ending free checked bag policy: 'Nail in the coffin'

Travelers who claim to be loyal customers of Southwest are sounding off after the airline announced changes Tuesday to its popular passenger perk.

The Texas-based carrier revealed several changes are being made in an effort to drive revenue growth and return to profitability shareholders expect, FOX Business reported.

These changes will include an adjustment to its checked bag policy, which allows all passengers to check two bags for free. Southwest has not yet announced how much travelers will be charged, though the fee for a third checked bag is listed at $150 on southwest.com.

DARING AIRPORT TREND HAS TRAVELERS ARRIVING AT GATE 15 MINUTES BEFORE TAKEOFF

The move, announced Tuesday, is triggering strong reactions from travelers on social media, with some even threatening to stop flying with Southwest if they can no longer receive free checked bags.

“Call it what you will — boycott, mass exodus, defecting. Can we do that in a massive wave right now?” one person wrote in a Southwest Reddit thread.

Southwest Airlines has announced it will no longer offer two free checked bags to all customers, and airline passengers are venting their frustration. (iStock)

“Nail in the coffin,” another person wrote.

“This was literally the last reason I still flew Southwest. Now it’s just Spirit with different colors,” another user commented in a different thread.

“I used to favor [Southwest] for the lack of baggage fees. They definitely will not be my first choice if their prices stay the same,” a Reddit user wrote.

Fox News Digital reached out to Southwest for comment.

Starting May 28, only Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred members and customers traveling on Business Select fares will get two free checked bags. Rapid Rewards credit card members will receive their first checked bag for free. Any other customers who do not fall into those two categories will be charged for both checked bags, according to Southwest’s press release.

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“It makes sense to be angry at Southwest because they have literally announced an intention to reverse their brand promise, that they have promoted as ‘transfarency’ regarding lack of fees or charges for checked baggage,” Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the blog “View From the Wing,” told Fox News Digital.

Southwest Airlines is ending its customer-friendly policy in an effort “to drive revenue growth and return to a level of profitability that shareholders expect,” FOX Business reported. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“They have dealt [with] a decades-long relationship with customers based on a simple and fair value proposition that they are changing, and loyal customers do feel betrayed.

“For five decades, Southwest has been a pioneer and a maverick, and they’ve announced that legacy has ended.”

‘GATE LICE’ RUN-INS HAVE FLYERS DEMANDING MORE AIRLINES ‘CRACK DOWN’ ON PESKY TRAVEL TREND

Southwest Airlines travelers are sharing their reactions to the end of free checked bags. (iStock)

Other social media users said they will consider flying with other airlines, even though they were once loyal Southwest customers, but they do not think a boycott is the answer.

“I won’t boycott. I’ve flown SW a lot — but simply because I had to get from point A to point B — and SW could often provide that to me at the cheapest rate and/or the most convenient times and routes. If SW can still provide that on any particular trip, then fine. But, now other airlines will be considered more often,” another Reddit user commented.

“Sure this sucks, but like everyone has already pointed out, they’re like every other airline now, so no use in boycotting for another just like it. It’s going to come down to cheapest fair, and most convenient or direct route for me. Based on my home airport, it’s likely going to still be Southwest,” a social media user added.

For more Lifestyle articles, visit foxnews.com/lifestyle.

Leff said Southwest once had customer-friendly policies like flexible rebooking or its free checked bags, which helped differentiate it from the other major airlines, but these recent changes appear to have damaged the relationship between the airline and many of its customers.

Gary Leff, a travel expert, says Southwest’s customer-friendly baggage policy was the carrier’s competitive difference in the industry. (iStock)

“Now they’re introducing basic economy fares that will not come with seat assignments prior to check-in, even as they charge fees for such assignments to customers buying more expensive tickets. They’ve reduced points-earning on the cheapest tickets. They’re introducing checked bag fees. And they’re upending their boarding process,” Leff said.

“They will be adding extra legroom seating at the expense of legroom in standard seats,” he added.

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Leff said, compared to other airlines, Southwest lacks some amenities, like seat-back entertainment screens, fast Wi-Fi and seat options with extra legroom, all of which may discourage travelers from purchasing a ticket with the carrier.

Loyal Southwest Airlines customers are sharing their concerns after the airline decided to end its customer-friendly baggage policy. (iStock)

“At the same time that Southwest minimizes the differentiation between their product and the rest of the industry, they will be behind other airlines as they chase that same model,” Leff said.

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“In other words, Southwest Airlines is giving up its competitive differentiation while positioning itself at the bottom of the industry for the model they’re chasing.”

FOX Business’ Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.

Sydney Borchers is a lifestyle production assistant with Fox News Digital.

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North Carolina

NC Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 Day results for May 6, 2026

Published

4 minutes ago

May 7, 2026

Press Room

The NC Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Wednesday, May 6, 2026 results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from May 6 drawing

18-27-51-65-68, Powerball: 05, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 6 drawing

Day: 1-5-8, Fireball: 5

Evening: 4-5-6, Fireball: 3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 6 drawing

Day: 1-7-1-5, Fireball: 5

Evening: 4-1-3-8, Fireball: 1

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 5 numbers from May 6 drawing

07-19-34-36-43

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Double Play numbers from May 6 drawing

04-06-11-25-43

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 6 drawing

06-18-30-32-43, Bonus: 01

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All North Carolina Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.

For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at North Carolina Lottery Offices. By mail, send a prize claim form, your signed lottery ticket, copies of a government-issued photo ID and social security card to: North Carolina Education Lottery, P.O. Box 41606, Raleigh, NC 27629. Prize claims less than $600 do not require copies of photo ID or a social security card.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a prize claim form and deliver the form, along with your signed lottery ticket and government-issued photo ID and social security card to any of these locations:

Asheville Regional Office & Claim Center: 16-G Regent Park Blvd., Asheville, NC 28806, 877-625-6886 press #1. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Greensboro Regional Office & Claim Center: 20A Oak Branch Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407, 877-625-6886 press #2. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Charlotte Regional Office & Claim Center: 5029-A West W. T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28269-1861, 877-625-6886 press #3. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
NC Lottery Headquarters: Raleigh Claim Center & Regional Office, 2728 Capital Blvd., Suite 144, Raleigh, NC 27604, 877-625-6886 press #4. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Greenville Regional Office & Claim Center: 2790 Dickinson Avenue, Suite A, Greenville, NC 27834, 877-625-6886 press #5. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Wilmington Regional Office & Claim Center: 123 North Cardinal Drive Extension, Suite 140, Wilmington, NC 28405, 877-625-6886 press #6. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://nclottery.com/.

When are the North Carolina Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
Pick 3, 4: 3:00 p.m. and 11:22 p.m. daily.
Cash 5: 11:22 p.m. daily.
Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Carolina Connect editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Oklahoma

Suspect arrested in deadly party shooting by Oklahoma lake

Published

22 minutes ago

May 7, 2026

Press Room

Suspect arrested in deadly party shooting by Oklahoma lake

EDMOND, OK − An 18-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday, May 6, in connection with a mass shooting that left one woman dead and 22 others injured at an “unsanctioned party” by an Oklahoma lake, police said.

Jaylan Davis, of Oklahoma City, was arrested on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon in response to the shooting, according to police. Gunfire erupted during a nighttime party on May 3 at Arcadia Lake near the Scissortail Campground in Edmond, a suburb of north Oklahoma City.

During a news conference on May 6, Edmond Police Chief J.D. Younger said the initial charge against Davis was in the process of being upgraded to felony murder after an 18-year-old woman died from injuries sustained during the shooting. Police identified her as Avianna Smith-Gray.

Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna confirmed in a news release that Davis will be charged with felony murder in the first degree over the shooting death “at the unsanctioned gathering.” His bond had been set at $1 million on a complaint of assault and battery with a deadly weapon.

Investigators believe the incident began with a “disturbance” between two people attending the gathering and escalated into an altercation between rival gang members, Younger said. Authorities also believe that there is at least one more suspect in the shooting.

“During the altercation, multiple subjects produced firearms and discharged in excess of 80 rounds, striking numerous individuals,” Younger said at the news conference.

What happened in the Oklahoma party shooting?

The shooting took place shortly after 9 p.m. local time on May 3 at Arcadia Lake, according to police. Officers were already responding to an 8:51 p.m. call on May 3 of loud music at a party at the lake when the shooting occurred, Younger said.

A total of 23 victims had gunfire-related injuries, including six “juveniles as young as 15 years of age,” according to the police chief.

Police previously said the incident occurred during an “unsanctioned party that began after dark and was advertised across multiple social media platforms, drawing a large crowd of young adults from across the metro area.” The party was not a permitted or reserved gathering, according to police.

Authorities had received multiple 911 calls reporting shots fired and responding officers located multiple people with injuries “ranging in severity,” police previously reported.

A person of interest in the shooting told investigators that Davis was “the primary aggressor,” a police detective said in an arrest affidavit. The person of interest said Davis was a member of the North Highland Piru gang and had recently gotten into a fight with “a known member of Hoover,” according to the affidavit.

The person “advised that this fight caused havoc between Jaylan and the Hoover gang members in Oklahoma City,” the affidavit states. The person also said a shooting victim, Daviion Wyckoff, told him in a phone call that Davis, also known as 3zzy, “arrived at the party and started shooting,” according to the affidavit.

Police previously identified suspect in shooting as member of a gang

In a May 4 search of the suspect’s home, police found ammunition that was the same brand as spent casings recovered from the crime scene, according to the affidavit. His mother said he had left on May 3 to attend a party at Lake Hefner with two of his friends, the affidavit states.

Davis has been arrested before, including after drive-by shootings in Oklahoma City in 2023 and 2024, court records show. Oklahoma City police described him in a 2024 court affidavit as a member of the North Highland Park Blood gang.

He has been prosecuted in Oklahoma County District Court both as a juvenile and as a youthful offender, the court records show. A March 27 “treatment and service plan” filed in court called for him to “explore positive alternatives to living a gang lifestyle.”

He turned himself in on the morning of May 6 to the U.S. Marshals Service, officials said. He was taken to the Edmond Police Department and was arrested.

Victim remembered as a ‘loving’ and ‘caring’ person

Police had confirmed on May 5 that “an 18-year-old young woman has passed away from injuries sustained in the Arcadia Lake shooting.” The chief medical examiner confirmed her body was being examined on May 6.

“Our thoughts are with her loved ones, as well as all those affected by this tragic incident,” police said in a statement on Facebook.

The victim was identified by police and on a GoFundMe page as Smith-Gray. On the GoFundMe page, Smith-Gray’s sister described her as a “loving” and “caring” person.

“She was good with kids doesn’t matter the age they all just happen to love her, she loved to dance, do hair, sing & so much more,” the online fundraiser states. “My sister was so talented a very good athlete and she was so so smart.”

“Avianna was so full of life and loved spending time with her family, friends, her boyfriend,” Smith-Gray’s sister wrote on the GoFundMe page. “She was 18 years old, just graduated and was waiting to walk that stage!”

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South-Carolina

Former South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer at 38 years old

Published

46 minutes ago

May 7, 2026

Press Room

Former South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer at 38 years old

A former college football star is now fighting cancer at 38 years old.

Stephen Garcia, a quarterback for four years at South Carolina, revealed on social media Wednesday that he was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer.

A GoFundMe page, organized by his wife Maria that has already garnered nearly $100K in donations, said that after a trip to the emergency room and multiple imaging tests, Garcia was diagnosed with cancer and was set to begin chemotherapy. He is now on an “aggressive” track, and “he will be meeting with specialized liver and colon surgeons to determine the next steps in his treatment plan.”

Garcia took to Facebook to share the GoFundMe link and said he is confident he will be able to overcome the diagnosis.