I'm wondering how many other airline customers won't even notice this change. Southwest used to be my go-to choice for flying. They had good prices for fares, the open seating was awesome, and the 2 free bags was (many times) the main reason to fly with them.
The decline in the value of a Southwest ticket started a few years ago when you could check in literally 2 seconds and already be in the middle of the B boarding group because the airline would reserve the second half of A group (and possibly the first part of B?) for higher paying fare customers on the same flight. While annoying, Southwest still had the best value.
Since the May 2025 changes eliminating free bags, then the elimination of open seating, Southwest went from the top of my list of air carriers to the absolute bottom. They charge the same (if not more) as better airlines and offer a worse product.