When will Southwest schedule flights for March and April 2026? I personally stay on top of the release dates, which change OFTEN, and keep this post updated so you can make plans for booking travel.
Want real-time, same-day notifications of Southwest flight release changes and announcements along with up-to-the-minute notifications on the day flights are released? I recommend joining my Secrets of a Travel Journalist Club membership. This is our premium membership program designed to help you maximize your travel savings and planning.
When Will Southwest Schedule Flights for March and April 2026?
We have checked and the Southwest Flight Schedule is now open for booking through January 26, 2026.
So you can’t book March and April just yet.
Southwest has announced the next flight release date will be July 29th, for booking flights through March 4, 2026. Be sure to check back for any updates or changes.
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What Time Will Southwest Release Flights?
Southwest says they can’t tell you an “official” time that flights are released, but based on our study of many Southwest flight releases, they typically happen between 7 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. EST.
This depends on many factors and one never knows for sure if it will be super early or super late or right on time!
What to Know About Booking a Southwest Flight on Release Day
To prepare for the Southwest flight release, here are some of my top tips.
Be sure to check for flights on a mobile browser, the Southwest app AND your desktop or vice versa, as sometimes they come online in one place before another.
Additionally, the flights seem to progressively “roll out,” so you may find some flights available before others.
This can be a somewhat frustrating — and tiring (especially if you get up at 5 a.m. Pacific to check for flights!) — process, but if you can score a cheap fare, it’s worth it in the end!
Join our Secrets of a Travel Journalist Club membership, so you’ll get an alert by phone AND email that flights are available for booking!
Top Spring Break Destinations on Southwest
Here are some great Spring Break recommendations from Families Fly FREE. Read our posts on these destinations below:
- San Diego
- Nassau, Bahamas
- Grand Cayman
- Cabo San Lucas
- Marco Island, Florida
- New York City
- US National Parks
- Ft. Lauderdale
- Colorado Springs
Cancel or Change With NO Penalty on Southwest!
Watch our video on how to change a Southwest flight or read below.
Remember, when you book a flight on Southwest, there is no fee if you need to change or cancel a flight.
It’s best to pay in Southwest points, because if you cancel or change because fares have dropped, the points go right back into your account. No questions asked!
If you don’t have a Southwest Rapid Rewards account, it’s easy to create one by visiting Southwest.com. Plus, you’ll be able to start earning points when you pay for flights and that you can use to book FREE flights (always my goal :)).
If you pay in cash/credit and purchased a Wanna Get Away fare, you’ll instead get a “credit,” also called an Unused Southwest Travel Fund, good for one year (must be used by the same person) for the difference in fare price or as your “refund.”
[Read our complete guide to Southwest Travel Funds]
How to Find A Low Fare on a Southwest Flight
To find the absolute LOWEST price for a flight, I always recommend starting your search at the Low Fare Calendar.
This fab Southwest tool lets you see the lowest fares across each month, and you can click forward or backward to check other months, as well.
Once you find a date with a low price, choose that date along with a return date. On the next screen, you’ll see all the flight options for that day where, again, you can select the lowest option (if that’s what you want).
Keep in mind that Southwest does not list fares on comparison sites like Google Flights or Expedia, so you’ll need to check directly on Southwest.com.
Book Your Southwest Flight to Hawaii!
Southwest now flies to Hawaii (hooray!). They now fly direct to Maui, Oahu, the Big Island and Kauai nonstop from Long Beach, Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento and San Diego airports in California.
My family has personally flown to Hawaii twice on Southwest, including to Maui prior to its devastating fire and later Kauai.
Southwest Hawaii flights continue to be in high demand, so booking them as soon as they are released is a good plan. Southwest prices always tend to go up over time and especially as planes fill!
Here’s everything you need to know about Southwest Hawaii flights.
My Favorite Travel Credit Card: Chase Sapphire Preferred
If you want to earn EVEN MORE Southwest points, check out the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, my FAVORITE travel credit.
- Flexible points transfer to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio instantly and are worth DOUBLE if you have a Southwest Companion Pass
- 3X points on dining, streaming and online grocery purchases
- 2X points on travel purchases
- 10% points bonus annually on spending
- Primary car rental insurance
- Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
Please note, this card’s points DO NOT qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass but CAN be used to book FREE flights on Southwest.
Read my full review of this card.
Want More Points for Free Flights on Southwest?
Check out the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Cards, which let you earn tens of thousands of points that you can use to book free flights on Southwest!
These points also qualify for the 135,000 you need to earn the Southwest Companion Pass, so one person can fly free with you for up to 2 years.
See my full review of the Southwest cards.
Keep in mind you can only hold ONE personal Southwest card at a time, though you can hold 2 Southwest business cards.
To ensure you time these cards in the best way possible to easily ALWAYS have a Southwest Companion Pass, join hundreds of travelers inside my Secrets of a Travel Journalist Club, where I share a simple system—built from 25+ years as a professional travel journalist—to make travel more affordable and less stressful.
Compare and contrast the varying Southwest credit card options HERE.
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