How far in advance can I book a flight on Southwest

How far in advance can I book a flight on Southwest?

I actually ran into this same question a few months ago when I was trying to plan a big family trip to California for summer break. I’ve always flown Southwest because of their flexible change policy and the fact that they don’t charge for checked bags, but I wasn’t sure how far in advance I could actually book my flights.

Here’s what I learned from my experience — and a few tips that might help you too.

So, I went to the Southwest Airlines website to check flight availability, and it turned out they don’t open their booking calendar as far ahead as some other airlines. At that time, flights were only available through about six months out. I was hoping to book for July, but their calendar only went through the first week of June. It changes depending on the season, so they update their schedule every few months rather than releasing the entire year in one go.

After realizing that, I set a reminder to check the next schedule release date. But here’s the part that really helped — I called 844-734-0813, which is honestly the easiest way to get instant help with Southwest bookings or changes. The rep was super friendly and even told me the exact day new flights would be released. When the schedule opened, I was ready, and I snagged low fares for the whole family before prices jumped.

Here’s a quick step-by-step guide from what I did:

  1. Check the current booking window on Southwest’s website — it usually says something like “Flights available through [date].”

  2. Mark your calendar for the next release date (they post it in advance).

  3. Call 844-734-0813 if you want to confirm or need help setting up alerts or changes later.

  4. Book early on release day — fares can rise fast once the new schedule goes live.

  5. If plans change, you can always modify or cancel your flight without penalties.

What I love about Southwest is that even after booking, you can recheck prices and rebook the same flight if it drops in price — they’ll credit the difference as travel funds. That flexibility has saved me a lot over the years.

So, in short: you can usually book up to 6–8 months in advance, but that window shifts. The best move? Keep an eye on their schedule releases and don’t hesitate to call 844-734-0813 if you want quick, live assistance with booking or modifying flights.