Southwest Airlines will begin charging customers a fee to check bags. It's a significant change for the budget carrier, which built years of advertising campaigns around its policy of letting passengers check up to two bags for free.

The carrier announced Tuesday that it will begin charging certain passengers to check their luggage on flights, a significant shift at the company long prized by consumers for its perks.

Southwest Airlines will begin charging customers for luggage. The change reverses a 50-year policy for the carrier. It is set to begin on May 28, though select customers will be able to avoid the charges.