Southwest’s $1 Billion Pivot: CEO Bob Jordan on Bag Fees And Other Changes

Bold Names

The Wall Street Journal

Technology

4.4 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 20 March 2026

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Southwest Airlines was built on three pillars: low fares, friendly service, and a quirky "sit anywhere" policy. But in a post-pandemic market, the rules are changing. On the latest episode of the Bold Names podcast, CEO Bob Jordan joins host Tim Higgins to discuss one of the airline’s most transformational periods in its 60-year history. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com. Check Out Past Episodes: How SAP's CEO Is Remaking the European Tech Giant For The Age Of AI How Corning Is Using Trump’s Tariffs To Its Advantage How Athletic Brewing Sells Beer for a Post-Alcohol Generation McLaren CEO Zak Brown On F1 And Business Strategy At 200 Miles Per Hour Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter.Read Tim Higgins’s column. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Now, are all the traitors present?
0:02.5	Let's get started, shall we?
0:04.5	From rags to riches.
0:05.8	I'm so sick of this.
0:07.0	Working like a dog and being treated worse.
0:09.1	Yorkshire to New York.
0:10.7	Poor climbers, you and me.
0:12.4	A life dedicated to revenge.
0:14.4	Let's make this an occasion to remember.
0:16.5	A woman of substance on Channel 4.
0:19.2	Stream now.
0:23.0	This week on Bold Names, we're talking to Bob Jordan. He's the CEO of Southwest Airlines.
0:28.9	The company is going through a lot of changes, and assigned seating is just part of that.
0:33.8	We get into that, and much more. So, fasten your seatbelts, put your tray table up because we're taking off.
0:40.9	From the Wall Street Journal, I'm Tim Higgins.
0:43.6	This is Bold Names, where you'll hear from the leaders of the bold name companies featured in the Wall Street Journal.
0:50.3	Today we ask, how does Southwest Airlines change while keeping what makes it unique?
1:00.4	Bob Jordan, thank you for joining us here on Bold Names today.
1:04.7	Really excited to hear about all the changes at Southwest.
1:08.1	And when I think of Southwest, I think of a few things. Super friendly people,
1:13.1	cheap fares, free check baggage, and open seating. Now, we've seen some changes. Some of those
1:21.2	things have gone away. Most notably, in the last month or so, you have gone to a model where
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