Southwest Airlines’ latest change means some can no longer fly

Southwest Airlines has become known for its amazing customer service.

In fact, the JD Power 2025 study of North American American Airline Sugriestraction Airbiection revealed that Southwest “The highest level in customer satisfaction in the economy / basic segment of One Confect economy.”

Southwest Airlines may lose that title. That’s because airlines have done a number of things that have hurt customers recently, including:

• Abolishing its Fly Free Policy bags and charging bags

• Eliminating an Open Seat in Harvest Seats is Still Assigned

• Changing its policies for plus passengers

• Implementing new wheelchair travel rules that make it difficult for some disabled people to fly

Things have gotten so bad that a red poster started a thread asking, “Despite everything that just happened [negative] Change, is anyone else still stuck with SWA. “There were very few anti-aircraft responses.

Unfortunately, Southwest Airlines’ recent policy change is causing more concern, and may mean that some people are completely unable to fly onward.

Southwest Airlines has just unveiled another new passenger change. On its Instagram page, the airline said:

“A wonderful treat is coming in January! Is it a full party or a toasted and salty party? This new snack item will be available starting January 27, 2026 for customers who enjoy extra legroom.”

Related: Southwest Airlines has canceled daily flights to the capital city in March

Southwest Airlines’ new “surprise” snack is called Pistachios, and Southwest Airlines included a photo showing that passengers will have a choice of flavors, including:

While Southwest Airlines officials may have been happy to announce the change to its on-board menu, many fliers are very upset about the flight.

In fact, the first response to the Instagram post announcing the change of Southwest Airlines raised a significant debate with many people up in arms. Instagram Comments:

This Instagram user wasn’t the only one upset, either. On the Southwest Subreddit, a poster made a good point about the decision, saying:

“Starting to wonder if Elliott has given it away completely. No one is going to choose to fly Southwest because it offers pistachios, but many people will now avoid it.”

Southwest Airlines’ decision to serve pistachios is puzzling, because pistachios are a tree, and millions of people are allergic to them. In fact, according to the OLLLY.ORG diet:

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

• Tree nuts are one of the 8 major foods in the US that have been identified as responsible for at least 90% of all allergic reactions (milk, soy, fish, and crustacean shellfish are the other seven)

Allergies can have serious consequences, with food allergy.org also reporting that approximately 3.4 million people visit the emergency room due to an allergic reaction each year.

Most flights:

That means once every 10 seconds, an ER visit is necessary due to an allergic reaction.

No person with allergies will want to take the chance of reacting to the air.

Instead, millions of people with allergies – and their families – will decide that western airlines are facing them because the airline has decided on a food that can kill them.

Related: Airlines permanently cancels all flights at major airport

This story was originally reported by Thestreet on November 1, 2025, when it first appeared in the travel section. Add Thestreet as your favorite source by clicking here.