Winter may be lingering, but it’s time to start planning your summer and fall trips for 2023! You can now book Southwest flights all the way into next October!
While most airlines allow you to book flights up to 11 months in advance of your travels, Southwest Airlines does it a bit differently. They release their fares in batches, going as far out as about seven months. As of earlier this week, it was only possible to book Southwest Airlines flights into mid-August – even as other carriers are already selling flights for early 2024.
But that changed on Thursday, as Southwest has now released more of its schedule through the rest of the summer. The Southwest flight schedule now has flights bookable all the way through Oct. 4, 2023. So if you’re trying to plan a trip for late summer or early fall, you can book those Southwest flights now.
Waiting to book Southwest flights for later in fall 2023? Southwest says it will extend its schedule again on March 9, releasing another month’s worth of flights – all the way through Nov. 4, 2023!
Nervous about making travel plans all the way through next summer and into? Southwest always allows free changes or cancellations. That means you can book a flight as far out as early October now, then change or cancel it (for a travel credit) down the line if need be. Southwest has also started selling new Wanna Get Away Plus fares that allow you a one-time transfer of those travel credits to another person!
Read up on how to get the cheapest flights by using the Southwest low fare calendar!
Booking the New Southwest Flight Schedule
Southwest is one of the few airlines that doesn’t list flights on Google Flights – or any online travel agency or flight search platform, for that matter. That means you’ll always need to start your flight search for Southwest fares directly on their website at southwest.com.
If your travel dates are flexible, we recommend using Southwest’s low fare calendar as it will show you the dates with the cheapest fares over a month-long span.
Not sure how (or when) to book flights to get the best deal? Read our post on the best day to book flights – it may not be what you think!
And as far as cancelations and refunds go with Southwest, they have always offered some of the most generous policies in the industry. Long before other carriers ditched change fees, there has never been a fee to cancel or change your Southwest flight.
You can cancel any Southwest flight and be given a voucher for later use. It’s one of the many reasons we are big fans of Southwest Airlines – despite its recent historic meltdown.
Bottom Line
The Southwest flight schedule is now open through Oct. 4, 2023. If you’re trying to make travel plans next summer and Southwest is an option, it’s time to start booking!
Trying to plan even further out in 2023? Southwest says it will release another batch of schedules on Feb. 9, 2023 – though that date could change – making flights bookable all the way into early October of next year!
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