Southwest Airlines: How to Change or Cancel Your Reservation

If you’re wondering how to change or cancel your Southwest Airlines reservations, you can do so by following these simple steps. This article will cover what information you need to provide and how to go about the cancellation process so that your request can be processed in the fastest way possible. So sit back, relax, and let us help you take care of this easily!

A Quick Guide to Changing and Canceling your Flight

Canceling your Southwest Airlines flights before it takes off is a simple process, but be aware that once you cancel, there’s no turning back. If you decide later on that you want to go, after all, you’ll have to book a new ticket. Luckily, it doesn’t cost much more than what it would have if you had canceled your original ticket and purchased a new one instead. If a cancellation won’t work for your travel plans for whatever reason, Southwest does offer fare changes under certain circumstances (for example, extreme weather). The good news is that these situations are outlined on southwest Airlines’ website so that you can get an idea of what your options are when canceling flights isn’t feasible.

Changing an Existing Flight Date & Time

You can change your flight itinerary if you call Southwest Airlines within four hours of your ticket’s original scheduled departure time. Calling ahead is necessary; making any changes online would require a change fee, which depends on how far in advance you purchased your flight. You may have a little more flexibility when it comes to changing flight times (as opposed to date and times). If there are no seat upgrades available or simply none that work with your schedule, then it’s not unreasonable for Southwest Airlines to bump you from a later-departing flight onto an earlier one.

Canceling an Existing Flight

You can change your flight online, by calling a Southwest Airlines Reservation Number specialist, or through a travel agent. If you are only traveling on one of two legs of your original itinerary, you can change it without penalty 24 hours before departure. If you cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice and fail to rebook within seven days, Southwest charges a $150 fee per ticket. In certain circumstances—the most common being severe weather—you might be able to get a refund on your entire flight if you need to cancel outside of normal 24-hour cancellation windows.

Changing a One Way Flight into a Round Trip Flight

Sometimes you might want to change southwest one-way flights into a round trip flight. You could even change a one-way ticket into two separate flights with different airlines. In these cases, Southwest Airlines can help you out by switching your ticket from a one-way to two separate tickets. Just call your local Southwest office and they will be able to assist you with changing your tickets. If you’re not sure who your local office is, simply contact southwest airlines’ customer support department at and they will direct you in any way possible.

Reconsider Flying with a Companion

If you don’t know how Southwest Airlines operates, it can seem difficult to change your southwest flight reservation. However, with a little bit of persistence and preparation, it’s very possible. The first things you need to do are contact southwest airlines directly and ask them how you can cancel your companion fare ticket. Most airlines have special cancellation policies when dealing with companion fares.

Call Southwest Airlines Instead of Web Chatting

As a rule, I always advise chatting with customer service reps instead of calling. In many cases, you can get through faster and your conversation is logged for future reference. But if you’re having trouble logging in for help—or if you prefer to speak with a real human being—then by all means call Southwest Airlines. Just note that they aren’t always able to change or cancel your reservation via phone; if it’s an issue where web chat will suffice, they’ll tell you as much before connecting you. Either way is sure to have your confirmation number southwest and frequent flyer account handy when speaking with a rep.

Options for Business, First Class, and Family Flights

If you need to make a change or cancel your Southwest flights, there are a few options available depending on your business, first-class, and family tickets. To take advantage of any of these options for changing flights you must call Southwest Airlines Flight Reservations and inform them that you wish to exercise one of these options. You must mention which option applies. When talking with a reservations agent keep in mind they will likely want information like your confirmation number, phone number where you can be reached during travel dates, destination information if flying internationally (country code needed), and last but not least any change fees imposed by Southwest due to your change/cancellation request.

Add or Remove an Additional Leg from Your Trip

If you want to cancel your flight reservation, you will first need to make sure that it’s a cancellation and not a change. To do so, you can call southwest airline customer service at. If they tell you that it is a change instead of a cancellation, ask them how you can correct it. Many airlines now include an additional leg in your trip when using frequent flyer miles, so if there are several months between each of your flights then canceling one of them may be easiest for both you and Southwest Airlines. Otherwise, removing an additional leg from your trip involves contacting southwest customer service as well as making changes on your credit card if applicable.

Frequently Asked Questions about Changing And Canceling Your Flight

When it comes to southwest air travel, few companies are as customer-friendly as Southwest Airlines. Customers who want to change their reservation can do so either via phone or online, and no fee is charged. If you want to cancel your reservation (for any reason), you must contact Southwest within 12 hours of booking your flight. Failure to do so will result in a $50 cancellation fee. If you know there’s going to be a significant change in your plans before your flight, give Southwest a call and ask them what options are available; sometimes they’ll waive fees if changes are needed due to issues out of their control (such as weather). The folks at Southwest have one goal: To help make flying easy for everyone.

Ways to Save On the Cost of Airfare through Southwest Airlines

One of your best bets is to change your ticket closer to departure if Southwest International Flights has gone on sale since you originally booked. (Which is why it’s crucial that you either book immediately when there’s a sale or have enough flexibility in your schedule.) If Southwest isn’t offering a discount and you don’t have flexibility, look for low-cost alternatives for flights around your travel dates. For example, compare flights between Los Angeles and Chicago through American Airlines versus Southwest—the cost savings could be hundreds of dollars! If all else fails and an unplanned expense come up, at least be ready with a story about why you need to cancel your trip. Don’t stress; it happens to everyone.