What to Do if Southwest Changes Your Flight, and Why it Might Be a Good Thing!

Apr 13

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You carefully booked the perfect flights for your family trip. Then weeks (or even months) later, that dreaded email hits your inbox:
“Your Southwest flight schedule has changed.”

Cue the stress.

It is so frustrating to feel like your perfectly planned travel is being upended! But, here’s what most travelers don’t realize, when Southwest makes a change, it can actually be a gift. You just need to know how to use it to your advantage!

If you are new to all this, be sure to check out my Beginner’s Guide to Points & Miles where I walk you through the basics of booking flights with points—without getting overwhelmed.

What Qualifies as a Schedule Change?

Southwest, like most airlines, plans flight schedules well in advance. But maybe a new aircraft isn’t ready, a route gets pulled due to low demand, or weather or maintenance issues shake things up. These changes—whether small or major—can affect your itinerary because it can cause a ripple affect through the whole schedule.

You'll usually get an email or text from Southwest with the new flight details, including time, flight number, and date. Always take a moment to double-check the update and see if it still works for your family’s travel plans.

✨ If the new itinerary doesn’t work, you don’t have to just accept it. Keep reading for all the options available to you—and why some of them are surprisingly helpful.

Why Southwest’s Policy Is So Generous

Here’s where things get interesting: Even if the change is just a couple of minutes, Southwest gives you flexibility.

You can:

Stick with the new flight
If it works for you, great—no action needed.
Rebook to a different flight
Change to any available flight up to 14 days before or after your original travel date, at no cost. You can do this online or call Southwest directly. And yes, you can do it twice.
Cancel for a flight credit
If you no longer want to travel, you can cancel and receive a credit—sometimes even a Transferable Flight Credit—to use on future trips. No expiration dates, which is perfect for flexible families.
Cancel for a full refund
If the change is significant (like a 3+ hour difference or switch to a different airport), you’re entitled to a full refund. This is part of your passenger rights under the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Looking to build up points for your next Southwest booking? Here are my favorite travel credit cards to keep your options open. And don’t forget my tips on Flying Southwest with Kids.

Examples-

🎄 Holiday Shuffle

Say you book flights in the spring to visit your parents for the holidays. A few weeks later, you get that infamous schedule change email. You leave it alone until later, when you decide actually you want to spend Christmas at home and visit family after the actual holiday.

Because of that small schedule change, you can shift your entire trip by a few days—for free. And since Southwest allows two free changes, you still have one left in case something comes up.

🛳️ Disney Cruise Dash

For cruises, you always want to plan a buffer before and after. Those ships are on a tight schedule. Say you disembark the ship earlier than you thought you would and make it to the airport with time to spare for a much earlier non-stop flight home.

Normally, switching to that earlier flight would cost hundreds in fare differences. But because of a prior Southwest schedule change, you can now rebook to that earlier flight at the gate—confirmed seats and all.