Southwest’s CEO brands new bag fees and seat assignments as “choice,” but one traveler argues it’s really a shift toward profit over passengers.

Still, Jordan told the Times that by charging bag fees, Southwest predicts the number of checked bags will decrease while the number of gate-checked bags will "modestly" increase. And when there are gate-checked bags, Southwest agents have a ballpark idea of how many to expect when they use a tool on their devices to help predict that number.

Bob Jordan recently introduced major changes to the way the low-cost airline works, which caused a stir among loyal fliers and left them wondering what sets it apart from competitors.