Next Southwest Flight Schedule Release Changed to April 23 for Flights Through January 4

The Southwest Flight Schedule is now open for booking through October 30, 2020 and the next release of flights, through January 4, 2021 is now set for April 23, 2020.

After releasing the flights on March 12, Southwest said the release date for the next flights would be June 3, but by March 13, they had revised it to April 23. Quite a difference! But much better news :). June 3 was a LONG time to wait for the next release, as usually they are every four to six weeks.

Southwest DOES frequently changes release dates like this. They are juggling dealing with the MAX 8 aircraft still out of service per the FAA and continue to change things.

Stay tuned to Go to Travel Gal, though, to keep up to date when their release dates change. You’ll hear it first HERE! They have even been known to change the date a day beforehand!

Be sure to subscribe to my email list below to be notified in real-time of these changes:

 

 

Ready to book?

The easiest way to book flights on Southwest is through the Southwest Low Fare Calendar, which shows you the lowest prices — in points or dollars — for your flight across a range of dates. 

 

Are There Any Hawaii Flights?

Southwest Hawaii flights are now available!

Right now, you can fly to Oahu, Maui and the big island of Hawaii directly via San Jose, Sacramento (Oahu and Maui only) or Oakland airports in the San Francisco area. 

Lastly, San Diego is finally coming online, as well (yea!), with flights to Oahu beginning April 20, 2020 and to Maui on April 14, 2020.

Here are 11 Things You Need to Know About Southwest Hawaii Flights.

 

Did You Know 1 Person Can Always Fly Free With You on Southwest?

Did you know that you can earn the Southwest Companion Pass that lets one person fly free with you for up to two years? 

You simply need to earn 125,000 qualifying points, which is most easily accomplished by signing up for one of the Southwest personal credit cards and one business Southwest credit card OR two business Southwest cards.

Right now, all three personal Southwest cards are offering a 40,000-point bonus. Here are your options:

• Southwest Priority
• Southwest Premier
• Southwest Plus

This post breaks down all the benefits and annual fees of each Southwest credit card so you can pick the best one for you.

You can currently earn your Southwest Companion Pass in TWO steps by applying for the new Southwest Business Performance Card, which has a 70,000- to 100,000-point bonus (read my full review) along with the Southwest Business Premier card (60,000-point bonus).

Here’s exactly how to do that.

 

 

To apply for this offer or any travel credit cards, please use the links in this post or the TRAVEL CREDIT CARDS links in the GotoTravelGal.com main menu shown in the image below. These allow us to earn a commission — at no cost to you — to support our free content and email update and alerts! Thank you!

 

How to Get MORE Points for FREE Southwest Flights

You can apply for and use my favorite card, Chase Sapphire Preferred (read my full review here), a more flexible travel card, which allows you to transfer points into your Southwest Rapid Rewards account instantly at a 1:1 ratio, as well as to other airline and hotel partners.

The card has a $99 annual fee the first year and grants you 60,000 points after meeting a $4,000 minimum spend in the first three months. Plus, you earn DOUBLE points on dining and travel expenses.

Keep in mind, that points earned using Chase Sapphire Preferred DO NOT qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass, but CAN be used to book free flights.

Other cards that allow you to transfer points to Southwest include:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve
• Chase Ink Business Preferred
• Chase Freedom

What months are you waiting to book flights?

 

Read More:

• Southwest Check-in Tips
• Do Southwest Points Expire?
• How to See if Your Southwest Plane Has Wifi
• Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions About the Southwest Companion Pass