Southwest's new fall sale runs through October 1 for travel from October 20 to March 3. Which days and airports it covers, the blackout dates, what we found on real routes, and when points beat cash.
Checked September 29, 2026, against Southwest's sale terms on its booking page, the full route list on its sale page, and its own search results for the routes below. Fares change daily, so treat every number as what Southwest showed that morning.
TL;DR
From the sale terms on Southwest's booking page:
Within the continental U.S. and interisland Hawaii, these dates are blacked out:
| Month | Dates |
|---|---|
| November 2026 | Tue 24, Wed 25, Sat 28, Mon 30 |
| December 2026 | Sat 19, Sat 26, Mon 28 |
| January 2027 | Sat 2, Mon 4, Mon 18 |
| February 2027 | Mon 15 |
Put that together with the day rule and most weekend trips are out. Fridays and Sundays aren't sale days at all, and the Saturdays around the holidays are blacked out. A Tuesday-to-Saturday or Monday-to-Thursday trip is what this sale is built for.
This list is shorter than the one in Southwest's previous sale, which ended September 24. December 23 and 30 aren't on it this time, but Southwest still says fares won't be available on some flights during very busy travel times, so check your exact flight.
One-way prices for one adult, including taxes, from Southwest's own search on September 29:
| Route | Date | Basic | Choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles to Las Vegas, nonstop | Tue Nov 10 | $58.40 | $93.40 |
| Los Angeles to Las Vegas, nonstop | Fri Nov 13 (not a sale day) | $85.40 | $120.40 |
| Chicago Midway to Denver, nonstop | Tue Nov 17 | $121.40 | $161.40 |
| Baltimore to Orlando, one stop | Wed Jan 13 | $123.70 | $163.70 |
The Friday line is the one to remember. It's the same route, the same airline, the same week, and $27 more each way because Friday isn't a sale day.
Southwest publishes a sale page that lists every route and its starting fare. We read the full list on September 29.
These are all 132 domestic routes Southwest's sale page listed at $59 one-way on September 29, by departure airport. Every one of them is a nonstop. Remember the day rule: the $59 only shows on sale days.
| From | Routes | $59 to |
|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque | 2 | Las Vegas, Phoenix |
| Amarillo | 2 | Austin, Dallas (Love Field) |
| Atlanta | 3 | New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa |
| Austin | 4 | Amarillo, Harlingen, New Orleans, Tulsa |
| Baltimore/Washington | 4 | Boston (Logan), Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh |
| Birmingham | 2 | Nashville, Tampa |
| Boston (Logan) | 1 | Baltimore/Washington |
| Chicago (Midway) | 4 | Cleveland, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, St. Louis |
| Cincinnati | 1 | Baltimore/Washington |
| Cleveland | 3 | Baltimore/Washington, Chicago (Midway), St. Louis |
| Dallas (Love Field) | 7 | Amarillo, Little Rock, Lubbock, Memphis, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Tulsa |
| Denver | 2 | Steamboat Springs (Hayden), Wichita |
| Fort Lauderdale | 2 | Orlando, Tampa |
| Fort Myers | 1 | Orlando |
| Fresno | 1 | San Diego |
| Harlingen | 1 | Austin |
| Houston (Hobby) | 3 | Jackson, Memphis, San Antonio |
| Indianapolis | 1 | Nashville |
| Jackson | 1 | Houston (Hobby) |
| Kansas City | 1 | St. Louis |
| Las Vegas | 4 | Albuquerque, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego |
| Little Rock | 1 | Dallas (Love Field) |
| Long Beach | 2 | Phoenix, San Jose |
| Los Angeles | 5 | Las Vegas, Reno/Tahoe, San Francisco, San Jose, Tucson |
| Louisville | 1 | Nashville |
| Lubbock | 2 | Dallas (Love Field), Denver |
| Memphis | 4 | Chicago (Midway), Dallas (Love Field), Houston (Hobby), Nashville |
| Miami | 1 | Orlando |
| Minneapolis/St. Paul | 2 | Chicago (Midway), St. Louis |
| Nashville | 5 | Birmingham, Indianapolis, Louisville, Memphis, St. Louis |
| New Orleans | 3 | Atlanta, Austin, Dallas (Love Field) |
| Oakland | 4 | Palm Springs, Portland, San Diego, Santa Barbara |
| Oklahoma City | 1 | Dallas (Love Field) |
| Ontario/LA | 2 | Phoenix, San Jose |
| Orlando | 5 | Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Miami, Sarasota/Bradenton |
| Palm Springs | 1 | Oakland |
| Phoenix | 4 | Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Ontario/LA, San Diego |
| Pittsburgh | 1 | Baltimore/Washington |
| Portland | 1 | Oakland |
| Reno/Tahoe | 2 | Los Angeles, San Jose |
| Sacramento | 1 | San Diego |
| San Antonio | 1 | Houston (Hobby) |
| San Diego | 9 | Fresno, Las Vegas, Oakland, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa |
| San Francisco | 2 | Los Angeles, San Diego |
| San Jose | 5 | Long Beach, Los Angeles, Ontario/LA, Reno/Tahoe, San Diego |
| Santa Barbara | 2 | Oakland, San Diego |
| Santa Rosa | 1 | San Diego |
| Sarasota/Bradenton | 1 | Orlando |
| St. Louis | 5 | Chicago (Midway), Cleveland, Kansas City, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville |
| Steamboat Springs (Hayden) | 1 | Denver |
| Tampa | 3 | Atlanta, Birmingham, Fort Lauderdale |
| Tucson | 1 | Los Angeles |
| Tulsa | 2 | Austin, Dallas (Love Field) |
| Wichita | 1 | Denver |
To see every fare from your airport, open Southwest's sale page and pick your departure city.
The sale is priced on Basic, Southwest's cheapest fare. On the Los Angeles to Las Vegas flight, Choice was $35 more. Southwest's own fare rules explain what the difference buys:
If your plans are firm and you're traveling light, Basic is the sale. If there's any chance you'll move the trip, the $35 buys a longer credit and changes without buying up.
Southwest prices award seats off the cash fare, so a fare sale is also a points sale. The Tuesday Los Angeles to Las Vegas flight was 3,000 Rapid Rewards points plus $5.60 in Basic. Against the $58.40 cash fare, each point is worth about 1.8 cents, well above the 1.3 cents we value Rapid Rewards at. When the fare is this low, spending points makes more sense than usual.
Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt both transfer to Rapid Rewards one to one.
These follow different rules:
Check the day of the week first, the blackout list second and the 21-day advance purchase third. If your trip survives all three, book before Thursday night. If it doesn't, Southwest has run a sale every few weeks this year; our record of every Southwest sale we've priced shows what the next one is likely to look like.