Southwest Airlines announced upgrades to some of its Boeing 737 fleet on Wednesday, including more overhead storage and stronger Wi-Fi, that it says will cost over $2 billion.

The airline will be joining Alaska and Delta Air Lines in implementing Boeing's "space bins" in the overhead storage in its new additions to the 737 Max fleet arriving next year. New bins will add 50% more storage, according to Boeing.

Southwest will not charge for carry-on bags as of this report, holding to its “Bags Fly Free” tagline.


Internet provider Anuvu will feature its latest hardware for powerful Wi-Fi in 50 planes by the end of this month and 350 more by October. The airline charges passengers $8 a day for Wi-Fi access. There are 40 planes, however, that are equipped with the new hardware and currently providing free internet access since it is still in a testing phase.

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About 250 of the 737 Max aircraft will receive an upgrade of USB-A and USB-C ports at every seat by the end of this year. Previously, there were no power outlets on Southwest planes.

Updates, including the ports, Wi-Fi, and space bins, will only apply to the airline's 737 Max planes, which are in the minority among the 700-plane fleet.

Boeing's 737 Max has braced controversy in the past, with three crashes attributed to the plane and various electrical issues reported recently. Its CEO was fired as a result of the plane's early-on problems.

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Changes effective across planes include a new bloody mary mix, another undetermined ready-to-drink cocktail, hard seltzer, and rosé. Southwest also plans to beef up its streaming service to feature more movies and update its flight tracking simulation to feature 3D views.