Southwest Thanksgiving Sale: How to Catch the Next One
Watch Southwest's October booking windows and fare alerts to lock in Thanksgiving travel before seats sell out.
Southwest Airlines covers Thanksgiving travel through short fall sales, not one single Thanksgiving Day sale. To catch the next one, monitor Southwest Airlines' Flight Deals page and text alerts through September and October and be ready to book within a two- to four-day window. Recent offers show low one-way fares for travel stretching from November into early March.
Seats, days and markets are limited, so flexible dates improve your odds.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 03, 2026.
When does Thanksgiving coverage go on sale?
Southwest Airlines opened broad fall-through-spring coverage with its Week of WOW sale from Sept. 14-17, 2026. According to Southwest Airlines, that event offered up to 40% off base fares for Oct.
5, 2026-Mar. 3, 2027 travel in the investor press release. It covered flights, hotels, cars and vacation packages.
A later holiday sale took bookings Oct. 27-29, 2026 for travel Nov. 17, 2026-Mar.
3, 2027. According to Southwest Airlines, it offered $59 one-way fares and required 21-day advance purchase in the sale terms for the Oct. 27-29 booking period.
That short booking window is typical for these fares.
What do the $59 fares include — and exclude?
The late-October $59 fares applied to select routes and dates across the November-to-March window. Travelers needed to book at least 21 days ahead. Blackout dates removed key Thanksgiving travel days.
Continental U.S. and interisland Hawaii travel was blacked out Nov. 20, Nov.
28 and Nov. 30, 2026. Longer blackouts applied around Thanksgiving for Hawaii, international and Puerto Rico routes.
Check the date rules before choosing flights.
Why do early-November sales start in December?
Southwest Airlines followed the October sale with a Nov. 2-5, 2026 sale for later winter travel. According to Southwest Airlines, it listed $59-$129 one-way fares for Dec.
1, 2026-Mar. 3, 2027 on continental U.S. and interisland Hawaii routes in [the sale terms for the Nov.
2-5 booking period](https://www.southwest.com/html/offers/nationwide_sale_NonstopConnect_261102.html). It did not cover Thanksgiving-week departures. That pattern matters for shoppers buying during Thanksgiving weekend.
A sale seen after the holiday often buys post-holiday trips. Buy October coverage for November travel.
How do you get the next alert in time?
Watch Southwest Airlines' Flight Deals page for current specials and sign up for promotional texts. According to Southwest Airlines, travelers can text FLYDEALS to 70139 for sale notices in the current specials listing. Sale seats, days and markets are limited.
Have destinations, alternate dates and passenger details ready before an alert arrives. Basic fares are nonrefundable except for 24-hour cancellation. Check the listing as soon as an alert arrives and keep dates flexible.