If you don't have Southwest elite status, the cheapest option for getting a free checked bag will be the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card. It has a $69 annual fee, which may be as much as the baggage fees for a round-trip flight.

Southwest Airlines has been known as one of the friendliest companies in the friendly skies for as long as the airline industry can remember. Airlines are often seen as some of the most consumer unfriendly businesses,

Southwest Airlines let us all down on Tuesday by announcing they will be doing away with their free checked bag policy, which, until now, has proven a beacon of relief for fee-weary travelers trying to get from point A to point B without taking out a second mortgage to pay for their luggage.