Southwest will start charging for checked bags for the first time in its 50 years of flying. Thousands of Southwest customers complained about the loss of the free checked bags. Southwest shares jumped this week after it announced the fees,

The carrier announced Tuesday that it will begin charging certain passengers to check their luggage on flights, a significant shift at the company long prized by consumers for its perks.

Southwest Airlines will begin charging customers a fee to check bags. It's a significant change for the budget carrier, which built years of advertising campaigns around its policy of letting passengers check up to two bags for free.