In what could be the first of many sales we see this year from Southwest as it continues to recover from holiday crisis, the airline announced its 2023 Travel Deal, offering one-way fares starting at $49.
Discount fares must be booked by January 12 for midweek travel for most destinations through May 17.
basic transaction
Airlines: Southwest Airlines.
Route: Across the Southwest network.
How to put: directly through airline sales page.
Date of department: January 31 to May 17; Exact availability depends on the route and certain outage days apply.
Recorded by: January 12 at 11:59 p.m. PST.
All routes require a 21-day advance purchase and itineraries are valid Monday through Thursday for travel from the continental US to/from Hawaii and Puerto Rico until the end of March 15.
Travel to international destinations is in effect Sunday through Wednesday through March 8. Travel from international destinations is in effect Tuesday through Friday through March 8.
The discounted fares are for one-way Wanna Get Away fares, which are non-refundable but can be applied to future trips as long as the booking is canceled at least 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time.
Review additional terms and conditions of sale here.
Read more: Southwest Airlines customer service woes: From refund frustrations to lost luggage
sample flight
To find discounted flights, search for your desired route through Southwest’s Low Cost Calendar, which populates with the lowest priced flights of the month.
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For an experimental search conducted for this story, I searched for one-way routes from Chicago’s Midway International Airport (MDW), one of the airline’s largest hubs. At the time of publication, the following routes were available:
- To Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), Denver International Airport (DEN), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), with prices starting at $69.
- To LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Dallas Love Field (DAL), starting at $79.
- To Baltimore/Washington’s Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI), rates start at $101.
- Arrive at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), starting at $108.
Because Southwest doesn’t specify which routes are included, use Low fares calendar is the easiest way to search for flights included in this deal.
I was unable to determine any fares at the advertised $49 sale price, and the airline did not respond to a request for more specificity prior to publication.
Maximize your purchases
If you book this offer, use your credit card to earn reward points on airline tickets. Southwest loyalists should consider Southwest Express Rewards Priority Credit Card at 3 points per dollar for purchases in Southwest, Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card give 2 points when buying Southwest or Southwest’s Premier Rapid Rewards Credit Card for 3 points per dollar for purchases in Southwest. Or try Chase Sapphire Priority Card to earn 2 points for every dollar on travel.
See this lesson for more on how to maximize your Southwest flight ticket purchase.
bottom line
Although this sale is advertised for one-way fares, you can find and stack two one-way fares of the same price to make a round trip.
Be sure to book your flight by Thursday.
