Southwest Airlines Releases Holiday Flight Schedules TODAY!

Today, Southwest Airlines releases flight schedules for the holidays. Flights through January 6, 2019 will be available to book starting today. Schedules typically start to become available early morning to mid-morning.

Tips for Reserving Holiday Flights

Book early on points. If you have enough Southwest Rapid Rewards points to book your flights, book now and check weekly for a lower price. If the price goes down, you can change your reservation to the lower points price and Southwest will refund your points directly to your account. I do this all the time with all of my reservations on points.

Understand the Risks of Booking Early with Cash. If you book a flight with cash instead of points, you can still benefit if the price of your ticket goes down in the future. However, Southwest Airlines will issue you a credit that must be used within one year of your original booking. For example, if you book a flight for $200 today and in one month it goes down to $150, you can get a $50 credit that will expire on May 31, 2019. You have to fly by the expiration date, not just book your ticket by the expiration date.

Fly on Off-Peak Holiday Dates. The most expensive tickets will be the day before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after Thanksgiving. If you are somewhat flexible with your travel plans, price flights a day or two before/after those days. In the past, I’ve flown on Thanksgiving Day and found the flight prices to be MUCH cheaper. Return flights on Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving are also much more reasonable.

Use Credit Card Rewards. In addition to the Chase Southwest Rapids Rewards credit cards, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points from the Chase Sapphire Preferred card to Southwest points. You can also use a travel card with flexible points, like the Capital One Venture Rewards card, to erase travel expenses.

Will you be booking flights on Southwest Airlines today? Where are you heading?