Tuesday is the last day to get free checked bags through Southwest Airlines: What you need to know

KEY POINTS

Starting Wednesday, Southwest will no longer be offering free checked bags to all its passengers.

This is just one of multiple new changes made to help increase the company's profits.

Also starting on Wednesday, the airline will implement an expiration date on its flight credits.

For decades, Southwest Airlines has been known for the fact that all its passengers get two free checked bags, but starting Wednesday, that will no longer be the case.

Southwest’s offering of checked bags without a fee has been a staple of the airline and has differentiated the company from its rivals. Until now, Southwest was the only major airline in the U.S. that allowed passengers to check two bags with no extra cost.

The airline had built years of advertising campaigns around its passengers’