Southwest adds charge to board sooner, get chance at aisle seat

DALLAS (AP) — Your bags still fly for free on Southwest Airlines, but if you want a better chance at a window or aisle seat, it’s going to cost $10 each way.

Southwest announced Wednesday that customers can pay extra to reserve a spot in the boarding line right behind elite fliers and ahead of families and other travelers. Unlike other airlines, Southwest doesn’t offer assigned seats.

The new offering comes after Southwest introduced new fees for minors traveling alone and for bringing a small pet on board. Southwest still doesn’t charge to check the first two bags, but experts and regular passengers are starting to wonder if that’s next.

Southwest, like other airlines, is desperately looking for revenue to offset a slump in traffic, especially among business travelers who usually pay higher fares for last-minute or refundable tickets.

The Dallas-based discount airline lost $37 million in the first six months of this year, and analysts expect that 2009 will be its first unprofitable year since the early 1970s.

Many analysts believe Southwest is passing up hundreds of millions of dollars a year by not charging passengers for all checked bags. CEO Gary Kelly has said bag fees drive customers away, and he has ruled them out at least through the end of 2009. No promises beyond that.

Southwest officials say they’re just charging for extra services that customers want.