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Southwest has launched a flash sale for travel in April/May in which it says that its offering one-way fares from $69, but fares on some routes are lower than that. It is also running a seperate flash sale offering 30% off base fares to/from Hawaii which is valid for travel in August and September.
Both sales only run through 21 March (tomorrow) and as usual, there are a lot of terms and conditions to navigate (e.g. you can only travel on select days of the week if you want to book the best fares), but a quick look at some of the deals on offer shows that there’s still value to be had on some routes..
April/May sale – key terms
- 21-day advance purchase required.
- Purchase from March 19 through March 21, 2024 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
- Continental U.S. travel valid April 9 through June 5, 2024.
- International and San Juan, Puerto Rico travel valid April 9 through May 22, 2024 and August 20 through October 2, 2024.
- Travel continental U.S. to/from international and San Juan, Puerto Rico blacked out September 3, 2024.
- Orange County (SNA) travel not valid.
- Continental U.S. travel is valid all days of week except Sundays.
- International and San Juan, Puerto Rico travel valid Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
- Fares valid on nonstop service where indicated; if not indicated, fares are valid on single connecting service.
- Displayed prices include all U.S. and international government taxes and fees.
- Points bookings do not include taxes, fees, and other government/airport charges of at least $5.60 per one-way flight.
- Seats and days are limited. Fares may vary by destination, flight, and day of the week and won’t be available on some flights that operate during very busy travel times and holiday periods.
- Travel is available for one-way Wanna Get Away® fares.
- Fares may be combined with other Southwest Airlines® combinable fares. If combining with other fares, the most restrictive fare’s rules apply.
- Advertised fares may be available on other days of the week, but that’s not guaranteed.
- Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines, as long as reservations are canceled at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled departure. Failure to cancel prior to departure will result in forfeiture of remaining funds on the reservation.
Full terms and conditions can be found on this page.
General example fares (April/May sale)
These are just some example fares that I found by doing random searches.
Sadly, these fares are not as low as the lowest fares that we’ve seen on these routes in recent years (we’ve seen some of these as low as $29 in the past), but the fares we’re seeing this time around seem to be a little lower than they were the last time one of these flash-promotions was offered.
- From $50 one-way nonstop between Los Angeles and Sacramento
- From $50 one-way nonstop between Nashville and Chicago (MDW)
- From $50 one-way nonstop between Denver and Salt Lake City
- From $64 one-way nonstop between Boston and Chicago (MDW)
- From $70 one-way nonstop between Chicago (MDW) and Houston (IAH)
On some dates, the fares on these routes are considerably higher than on others so using the flexible calendar search will be the best way to find the good deals.
Hawaii fare sale – key terms
- Up to 30 percent promotion code savings valid for one-way or round trip Wanna Get Away® and Wanna Get Away Plus® fares booked on Southwest.com® from March 19-21, 2024 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time (the “Booking Period”) and flown between August 11-Sept 30, 2024 for travel continental U.S to Hawaii and between August 13-Sept 30, 2024 for travel Hawaii to continental U.S. (the “Travel Period”).
- Savings valid for travel continental U.S. to Hawaii Sunday-Wednesday. Savings valid for travel Hawaii to continental U.S. Tuesday-Friday.
- Orange County (SNA) travel not valid for the promotion.
- Promotion code savings are applied before government taxes and fees.
- Enter promotion code 5YEARS in the Promo Code box when booking during the Booking Period.
- If you have entered the promotion code 5YEARS in the Promo Code box on Southwest.com or swabiz.com during the Booking Period, then while selecting your flights, savings in the base fare will be visible as a strike-through of the original fare on eligible flights.
- Discount availability may vary by destination, flight, and day of the week, and won’t be available on some flights that operate during very busy travel times and holiday periods.
- Please note that the Department of Transportation (DOT) requires advertised fares to include all government taxes and fees; however, this promotion applies to the base fare only.
- Discount is valid on new reservations only.
- Discount will apply only for select flights booked within the Booking Period while supplies last for travel flown within the Travel Period.
- Changes made to the itinerary after purchase will eliminate qualifications for this promotion and will result in forfeiture of any promotion code savings.
- The discount is only valid with the provided promotion code and is not combinable with other promotion codes or fares.
Full terms and conditions can be found on this page.
Quick thoughts on the Hawaii sale
The best fares that I managed to find started at ~$165 one-way and on many routes, I struggled to find any discount at all.
At the beginning of the year, we saw Southwest offer fares starting from $109 for one-way travel between the West Coast and the Hawaiian Islands, so this doesn’t look like a particularly great sale to me.
Still, if you’re set on traveling to/from Hawaii in August or September, it’s worth checking out these fares to see if they’re better than what the competition is offering, but if you’re expecting to book an amazing deal you’re probably going to be disappointed.
Bottom Line
Southwest is currently running two separate flash sales and both are set to end tomorrow. As usual, these sales come a ridiculous number of terms and conditions, so make sure you take a look through all of the restrictions before you start making plans.
The best way to find the lowest fares is to use Southwest’s Low Fare Calendar which, in the case of the Hawaii sale, appears to automatically include the promo code and which should quickly show you if your preferred routes have any great deals on offer. Flexibility with your travel dates will be key to locking in a good saving.
