Southwest Airlines yesterday announced the elimination of expiration dates on all Southwest flight credits unexpired on or created on or after July 28, 2022. The new policy applies to all currently valid, existing flight credits, with no action required by those holding the credits. The new policy does not apply to already expired credits.
According to Southwest policy, passengers much cancel their flights at least 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time to obtain a credit on a non-refundable ticket. Those holding tickets with Southwest’s three highest fare codes can transfer the credit to another person.
“We repeatedly leaned in during the pandemic to give our customers more time to use their flight credits beyond a full year, which was our previous policy,” said Tony Roach, Vice President of Customer Experience & Engagement, Southwest Airlines. “Introducing this change in our policy is part of a massive effort to improve the things that are most important to our Customers.”
Flight credits are a major point of consumer concern for the past two years as the pandemic and recent turmoil in the travel industry have increased the number of consumers canceling travel plans. Airlines have generally been offering more generous cancellation policies as a result, with many airlines offering extensions on credit expiration, but Southwest is the first airline to eliminate expiration dates totally.
