Airlines seem to be slapping flyers with more and more surcharges throughout the years, with some outlets bluntly stating that air travel companies actively attempt to “squeeze” passengers “out of every penny.” A new rule, according to a Southwest passenger, is no different. They claim the airline is now counting blankets and pillows as carry-on items that travelers will be charged for if they attempt to bring them aboard.
Carissa (@carissamonyce) posted a viral TikTok about the practice, claiming that Southwest isn’t messing around when it comes to the new policy. Several viewers said that they also came across gate agents who were dead set on enforcing this ruling, while others offered up some innovative approaches to getting away with bringing blankets and pillows aboard.
“Did y’all know that Southwest now considers blankets and pillows as a carry on item? And apparently this is a new rule like they just recently implemented this maybe a month or so ago,” Carissa says. “I just flew Southwest yesterday back home, and I always travel with this blanket which, it’s like a regular-sized, throw blanket.
Carissa says she never travels with a pillow, so that wasn’t an issue for her. But she says even neck pillows are an issue. “As I was boarding, I got stopped, and the lady was like, ‘Umm, you need to consolidate.’ And I was like, ‘Consolidate what?’ Then she was like, ‘Your blanket is now considered a carry on item.'”
At this point in the video, Carissa zooms the camera in on her face while giving a side-eye.
“To be honest I thought they were just being weird because I was flying from a smaller airport, but even flying from Miami they said the same thing and that it was a new rule that they just implemented,” Carissa explains. “So if you’re flying Southwest Airlines in the future and you like to bring your throw blanket and your big, nice neck pillow, please keep in mind that if you’re not able to stuff it in your purse or in your carry-on bag, they will make you check a bag or something or consolidate all together to make sure you only have that one personal item and that one carry-on.”
Some folks who responded to Carissa’s video were quick to offer up solutions to her issue, like this one person who found a useful re-purposing of airport store shopping bags: “Solution: Stop at an airport shop, get one of their bags and put your blanket/pillow in it! They do not count airport merchant bags as an extra carry on because they want you to patronize the shops!”
Other people said that they would get themselves out of potential fees by simply re-contextualizing what their clothes actually are: “What blanket bby this a scarf,” one TikTok user quipped.
Another remarked: “Pillow becomes a bbl.”
“Blanket becomes a dress/skirt,” someone else suggested.
“Have u met my new blanket cape?” one TikToker joked.
Others said that they, too, would find ways to skirt this issue. “So carry it on the plane in bag then take it out at my seat. Got it thanks,” one said.
@carissamonyce Don’t get caught slipping friend!!! #travel #traveltiktok #southwestairlines #southwest #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound – Carissamonyce | Travel Creator
A few viewers speculated that Southwest’s decision to hit passengers with this fee must’ve been a result of the viral hack of filling travel pillows with rolled-up clothing items, allowing them to travel with more clothing without having to pay for checked baggage.
Social media is filled with “hacks” from users on the application who have come up with ways to get around the various charges that airlines add to their customers. This one commuter said that she discovered a way to never have to pay for a checked bag.
Some airlines, like Frontier, are also being called out for their carry-on bag charging policies, even being accused of lying about customers being out of compliance with them.
One passenger demonstrated that their carry-on personal item fit in the allotted bin space provided to flyers by Frontier for them to suss out whether or not their belongings will fit on the plane. The passenger was still asked to pay an additional fee for the carry-on item, despite it fitting in the assessment bin. Many commenters speculated that this was tied to an incentive commission employees received for slapping commuters with additional charges; If they earn more money for their employer, they receive more money as a result. Some have lambasted the practice as being an at-the-gate extortion and local news media outlet Kron 4 stated Frontier has confirmed employees do indeed receive a commission for these charges.
In February, American Airlines also “hiked” its baggage fees and changed rules for passengers receiving frequent flyer miles making it more difficult for customers, they argued, to receive and redeem their travel rewards, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Southwest Airlines and Carissa via email for further information.
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