First came assigned seats. Then checked bag fees. Up next: a move to traditional boarding groups. Southwest Airlines is reversing course on yet another key promise it made in the not-so-distant past.

Next, Southwest reversed its long-standing commitment to keep the first two checked bags free, citing profitability concerns. Loyal customers—accustomed to the airline’s reputation for avoiding nickel ...

DALLAS (AP) — Goodbye, cattle call. Southwest Airlines said Thursday that it plans to drop the open-boarding system it has used for more than 50 years and will start assigning passengers to seats, ...