Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar

In the last year and a half, Southwest has changed its policies and procedures more drastically than it had in the entire previous five decades. Gone is open seating, gone is “Bags Fly Free”, and new fare classes have been created from the ground up. Despite everything, there is one resource that hasn’t lost its relevance whatsoever – the Low Fare Calendar. But, in order to find cheap flights on Southwest in 2026, you must understand how it works in tandem with the new fare policy of the airline.

What Is the Southwest Low Fare Calendar?

The Low Fare Calendar is a free web application available on the website of Southwest as well as in the airline’s mobile application. Unlike the regular search function, it allows you to compare prices for all days within a chosen month, letting you see the dates with the lowest prices at once.

While other websites like Google Flights and Skyscanner provide prices for flights, Southwest fares are not published on any other booking engines. They have never posted their schedule on external websites, and therefore Low Fare Calendar (or Southwest search) is the only source where you can get authentic prices from Southwest

How the Low Fare Calendar Operates Step-by-Step

It should be noted that, starting from January 27, 2026, Southwest provides an assigned seating service. As such, the Low Fare Calendar represents only the starting price.

1. Log into Southwest.com or launch the app.
2. Click on “Book a Flight” and select one-way, round-trip, or Getaway (package trip).
3. Provide the details of the departure airport and destination airport.
4. Rather than selecting exact dates, choose the month in which you would like to travel.
5. Press the icon or link that says Low Fare Calendar.
6. Examine the calendar grid where each date represents the cheapest fare for that day.
7. Select the most affordable workable date.

How the Low Fare Calendar Works, One Step at a Time

Here is the process how the low fare calendar works:

• Visit southwest.com or access the mobile application.
• Click on “Book a Flight” then choose either one way, round-trip, or Getaways (vacation packages).
• Fill in your airport of origin and destination.
• Rather than selecting specific days, select the month you are going to travel.
• Tap the Low Fare Calendar option.
• View the calendar; each date is assigned the lowest fare of the day.
• Pick the cheapest feasible date and continue to seat and fare bundle selections.

Because Southwest now offers assigned seats (implemented January 27, 2026), the calendar gives the starting fare. The actual cost will depend on the choice of fare bundles and seat class after this.

Fare Structure of Southwest Airlines in 2026 – How It Evolved

The airline has now done away with its earlier fare names and adopted a new fare system based on bag charges and seat selection. This is important to calendar shoppers because the “lowest fare” is always the most restrictive one.

A couple things that people may find noteworthy about fares compared on the calendar:

• Bags Fly Free expired in May 2025. Fares now come with a charge for their bags; Choice Extra, A-List Preferred members, active duty military, and Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards for the first bag are the only exceptions that fly bags for free.
• Open seating became history January 27, 2026. Every fare now includes a designated seat; while Basic fares have an automatic seat assignment at check-in, Choice fares and above give you the ability to choose a seat (Standard, Preferred, or Extra Legroom) when booking your flight.
• Boarding is now done by groups 1-8 based on fare class, seat class, and loyalty tier as opposed to check-in times.
• There’s still no change fee on any of the fares. You only have to pay the price difference between the current flight and the new flight; and this is another feature that makes Southwest different from Delta, American, and United.

Saving Money Using the Calendar

This particular tool is very easy; it’s the strategy that leads to the savings.

• Fly midweek. Tuesday and Wednesday will always be the least expensive departure days; Friday and Sunday are the costliest.
• Compare cash vs. points. Change the calendar view from dollars to points — since the points-based pricing follows the cash fares on Southwest Airlines, it is worth considering how much points you might save when you travel on a cheaper day.
• Rebook if you’ve already booked. In case you’ve already made the booking but the fare has become lower, it is possible to rebook the ticket to receive the refund in the form of flight credits or points.
• Keep an eye on the booking period. Southwest Airlines releases its schedules by blocks of several months in advance, rather than a whole year in advance like many other airlines, so you should check the calendar as new months appear for sale.
• Include the cost into your budget. As the Basic fare includes additional baggage fee and the fee for seat selection, it would be better to consider the cost of your trip in total.

Conclusion

The Southwest Low Fare Calendar hasn’t gone out of style, but it has become a tool that works in an airline with a completely different pricing model. The introduction of bag fees, assigned seats, and the renaming of fare buckets means that the “lowest fare” that is shown on the calendar no longer equals the bottom line. But if used right, it remains the most powerful way to find truly cheap flights with Southwest – look ahead of time, remain flexible about the travel date, consider the total cost of the tickets in various fare buckets, and check again after booking in case prices change.

Frequently Asked Questions