Frontier digs at Southwest with its own free bag check promotion: Divorce your old airline

Frontier Airlines on Tuesday unveiled a free bag check promotion in a dig at Southwest, exactly one week after the rival budget carrier ended its own decades-old policy.The rival budget airline announced a new promotion bundling a seat assignment, free carry-on bag and free flight changes for customers who book Tuesday through March 24 for flights through Aug.18.Frontier is also throwing in a free checked bag for flights departing May 28 through Aug.

18.Last week, Southwest broke from its beloved free bag check policy, saying the fees would click into place on May 28.“We’ve always had heart,” Frontier CEO Barry Biffle said in a statement – an apparent swipe at Southwest’s heart-shaped logo, Dallas Love Field home airport and LUV stock ticker.“Some airlines are walking away from what travelers love, but we’re running towards it.Think of this as the ultimate ‘divorce your old airline’ deal,” Biffle added.

“If travelers show us the love, we’ll make these perks permanent.”Southwest did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The free bag check policy was a major draw for Southwest customers, making it a stand-out in the industry.Now, Southwest is hoping the bag fare will boost its revenues.The major change followed a monthslong campaign from Elliott Investment Management, which took a stake in Southwest last year, won five board seats and unsuccessfully fought to oust CEO Bob Jordan.The Dallas-based airline also made major capitulations last month when it ended its iconic pick-any-seat policy and implemented a standard assigned seating process.Southwest’s promise to sunset the perk came as a shock to customers, since the airline had long pledged to hold onto the rare policy.CEO Bob Jordan has bragged that, aside from costs and schedule, Southwest’s “bags fly free” policy is often cited as the top reason why customers choose the airline.During an investor day in September, Southwest said “rigorous research” defended the be...