Southwest Airlines to add new fees for pets, unaccompanied minors

It also will raise the charge for checking a third piece of luggage or an overweight bag.

Other airlines have raised hundreds of millions of dollars since last year with fees that include charges for checking luggage and talking to agents on the phone.

Southwest fired back by spending heavily on television commercials that blasted other airlines for charging "hidden fees.” Southwest officials said they were winning customers turned off by the new bag fees.

Friday, Southwest officials defended their own new fees, which Chief Executive Gary Kelly called "just the starting point” for more changes later this year.

"It is always our goal to be upfront with our customers and to set the right customer expectations,” Kelly said. "Our changes today associate a charge for items that are truly an extra service.”