Southwest Airlines latest change means some can’t fly anymore

Southwest Airlines was once identified for its wonderful customer support.

In fact, JD Power’s 2025 North American Airline Satisfaction Study revealed that Southwest “ranks highest in customer satisfaction in the economy/basic economy segment for a fourth consecutive year.”

Southwest Airlines could soon lose that title, though. That’s because the airline has executed a quantity of issues that have upset prospects not too long ago, including:

• Eliminating its Bags Fly Free coverage and charging for luggage

• Getting rid of open seating in favor of assigned seating

• Changing its insurance policies for plus-size passengers

• Instituting new guidelines for wheelchair journey that make it tougher for some disabled people to fly

Things have gotten so unhealthy that a Reddit poster began a thread asking, “Despite all the recent [negative] changes, is anyone else still sticking with SWA.” There have been very few constructive responses defending the airline.

Unfortunately, Southwest Airlines’ latest coverage change is inflicting even more frustration, and it may imply that some people are completely unable to fly the airline going ahead.

Southwest Airlines not too long ago unveiled yet another new change impacting passengers. On its Instagram web page, the airline said:

“Something Wonderful is coming in January! Are you Team Honey Roasted or Team Roasted & Salted? These new snack offerings will be available beginning January 27, 2026 to Customers enjoying an Extra Legroom seat.”

Related: Southwest Airlines cancels daily flights to major metropolis in March

The “wonderful” new snack that Southwest Airlines touted was pistachios, and the Southwest Airlines Instagram web page included a image exhibiting that passengers would have a selection of flavors, including:

While Southwest Airlines officers could have been excited to announce the change to its onboard menu, many flyers have been extraordinarily upset with the airline.

In fact, the first response on the Instagram post saying the Southwest Airlines change raised a key issue that has many people up in arms. The Instagram remark said:

This Instagram consumer was not the only one who was upset, either. In the Southwest subreddit, a poster made an glorious level about the choice, stating:

“Starting to wonder if Elliott has given up completely. No one will choose to fly Southwest because it offers pistachios, but plenty of people will now avoid it. Is their strategy now just to discourage passengers flying and auction off the planes?”

Southwest Airlines’ determination to offer pistachios is a puzzling one, because pistachios are a tree nut, and hundreds of thousands of people are allergic to them. In fact, according to Food Allergy.org:

• 3.9 million people in the United States are allergic to tree nuts

• Tree nuts are one of the eight major food allergens in the U.S. recognized as being accountable for at least 90% of all severe food allergy reactions (milk, egg, peanut, wheat, soy, fish, and crustacean shellfish have been the other seven)

Food allergic reactions can have devastating penalties, with Food Allergy.org also reporting that roughly 3.4 million people go to the emergency room due to an allergic response each yr in the United States.

More Airlines:

That means once every 10 seconds, an ER go to turns into needed due to an allergic response.

No one who has an allergy will need to take a probability of a response in the air.

Instead, hundreds of thousands of people with allergic reactions – and their households – will now determine that Southwest Airlines is off limits for them because the airline has made the choice to serve a food that may kill them.

Related: Frontier Airlines completely cancels all flights to major airport

This story was initially reported by TheRoad on Nov 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the Travel part. Add TheRoad as a Preferred Source by clicking right here.