What is Best Day to Book Flights on Southwest Airlines?

In this post, we will break down everything you need to know about every booking hack - from Wanna Go Wednesdays to seasonal fares, and other booking hacks that make your Southwest Airlines reservations cheaper every time.

Understanding How Southwest Pricing Works

Southwest Airlines is extremely transparent in terms of its policies. They have:

• No hidden fees

• No dynamic fares

• Free checked bags

• Free changes

• Frequent sales and discount offers like Wannna Go Wednesdays

• Frequent fare sales

Because of all these factors, you may expect a fare that does not allow you to shell extra dime at any step of your journey.

So, What Is the Best Day to Book Southwest Flights?

Long story short, Tuesday is the next day to book a flight on Southwest Airlines. The reason is

• Southwest launches its new inventory seats every Tuesday between 3 a.m. – 6 a.m. ET. Other airlines do not have a specific day to roll out the new inventory. Which means, Tuesday is the day when fares will appear the cheapest online. 

But does this rule still apply in 2025?

Yes. While other airlines continued to surprise passengers with dynamic fares. For Southwest, Tuesdays continue to offer the most consistent opportunity to get you the lowest fares.

What is the Best Time of Day to Book a Southwest Flight?

Apart from Tuesdays, there are certain time slots where you can grab the cheaper fares on any given day.  These time windows include:

• Late Night (9 p.m. – midnight local time): Occasionally, you will find certain drops in the fares and fare types that were unavailable throughout the day unexpectedly appear during later nighttime slots. 

• For instance, you might be looking for a flight where only Choice Preferred or Choice Extra seats are available. But when you check again closer to midnight, you may sometimes find that lower fare options like Basic1 or Choice have opened up, and now you can book them easily.

• Look for Southwest Sales: Southwest Airlines generally posts sales anytime between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. ET. This makes the hours or early mornings the best slot to book a cheap fare.

When Are Southwest Flights Cheapest?

Understanding the seasonal and weekly demand helps you determine the best time of the day to book, but you should also be aware of the cheaper period to fly. 

Southwest Airlines fares are at their lowest during:

• January - February (post-holiday time)

• Late April - Early May (shoulder season between spring break and summer season)

• September Mid - October Mid (shoulder season after the summer travel and before the major holiday rush)

• Late November - early December (before Christmas week)

Besides that, m there are expensive to fly, and you should avoid these peak periods if your goal is to save money:

• Summer vacations (June–August)

• Thanksgiving week

• Christmas and New Year

• Spring Break (March–April)

What are the Best Days to Purchase Airline Tickets on Southwest Airlines?

According to the data available on the internet, the top days to book the cheapest flight for Southwest Airlines tanks from Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, followed by Monday, Saturday, Sunday, and Friday.

This is the ranking order with Southwest Airlines  (cheapest days to book to worst)

• Tuesday

• Wednesday

• Thursday

• Monday

• Saturday

• Sunday

• Friday

This is because Southwest uploads weekly fare inventory every Monday night. So the cheapest fare that appears on your screen is between 3 a.m. – 6 a.m. ET on Tuesday. This leads to the fact that during the mid-week there is a sudden surge in ticket sales due to cheaper fares. 

Also, during Tuesday and Wednesday, there are more leisure travelers compared to business travelers, who drive up the Southwest ticket sales by Sunday. 

Data-driven ranking table (from cheapest day to expensive day)

When not to book Southwest Flights?

Avoid booking Southwest Airlines reservations these days to save money.

• Fridays - This is generally a high business demand. Business travelers may plan to take a flight back to their home for the weekend. While leisure travelers plan a small getaway for the weekend. 

• Sundays - Peak leisure travel days. You will find hoppers seeking last-minute bookings. 

• Last-minute flight any day - Unlike other airlines, Southwest fares are not dynamic. So for the same-day travel, you will find the same fare throughout the day. 

• After the sale ends - The price for the Southwest ticket usually goes up by 30 to 60% post-sales period.

Conclusion

To sum up, if you really want to get the lowest fares, book early, use Tuesday mornings to hunt for lower prices, check sales at frequent intervals, and track fare trends during the cheapest seasons.

If you’re trying to find out the best day to book flights on Southwest Airlines, Tuesday is the strongest bet, but combine this with completing your travel bookings early, which guarantees you the best savings. 

With these hacks, you can book cheaper, save more, and enjoy stress-free travel with Southwest.