Can you cancel a flight on Southwest online?

When urgent work occurs that does not align with your flight schedule, it will be important to cancel the airline reservation. If your reservation has been made with Southwest and now you are hoping to make the cancellation online, you must use the official site. Southwest has allowed the reservation holders to retrieve their booking on the site directly and make the necessary changes as needed, as well as allow flight cancellations for fair reasons. Get a detailed understanding of the procedure for flight cancellation through the website below.

Online flight cancellation procedure:

  • Head to the website of Southwest at first,
  • Opt for the "Change/Cancel" tab on the homepage,
  • Tick the "Cancel a flight" column and further add your flight confirmation number and name,
  • Click on the "Search" button to get the itinerary,
  • Now, you will have to choose the valid reason for cancelling your ticket,
  • There might be a need to add documents depending on why you are cancelling the flight,
  • Make the payment of the applied charges and confirm the cancellation of your reservation at Southwest.

What are the conditions of cancelling the Southwest flight online?

It is not possible for every reservation holder to make the flight cancellation directly through the official website. There are certain conditions that allow a person to make online cancellations, and they have been mentioned here:

  • The cancellation request through the website is prior to the departure of the booked flight.

  • The reservation has been made directly with Southwest and not from an agent or a third-party site.
  • You input the correct confirmation number and passenger name to retrieve the booking and make the cancellation.
  • You pay the platform fee and other imposed charges for canceling your ticket.

What are the other methods of requesting the flight cancellation at Southwest?

In case the online flight cancellation is not feasible for you or you may not be eligible for the same, you must seek other methods to cancel your ticket. Get the brief of other cancellation methods in the following sections:

Calling the Help Desk

You can immediately connect to an official agent by calling the Southwest help desk. The agent will assist you with the flight cancellation requirements and share with you the details of the refund of the same. The following is the process of how one can make a flight cancellation by calling the help desk:

  • First, connect with a Southwest official agent at 1800-435-3792,
  • Then, provide the reservation number and name as per the flight ticket to request cancellation,
  • You might have to share the valid reason for the cancellation,
  • After taking a few details, the agent will confirm the cancellation of your ticket at Southwest,
  • The email containing the confirmation of the same will be received soon.

Visiting the Ticket Counter

Agents are also available at the ticket counters to help customers with new reservations as well as existing reservations. So, if it is convenient for you to visit the ticket counter personally and make the request, you can do the same. You must carry one valid ID proof along with your reserved ticket. Share the ticket and the details with the agent at the ticket counter for the flight cancellation request. The agent will verify the booking and the eligibility criteria and will process your request. As the cancellation is confirmed at Southwest, you will receive a notification.

Is there a penalty for cancelling a flight on Southwest?

The penalty for flight cancellation depends on many factors, such as the fare type, travel class, reservation time, and the cancellation request time. Learn about when you can cancel your reservation with Southwest without a penalty by reading the below points:

  • When you manage to cancel your reservation within 24 hours of purchase, the penalty charges will be nil. For this condition to apply, the departure date of the flight must be after 7 days a minimum from the time of purchase.

  • In case the original departure time of the reserved flight has been delayed for longer hours (more than 3 hours) and it does not align with your travel plans, you can choose to cancel the reservation free of cost.
  • Southwest also allows its customers to request free cancellation of a reservation due to medical emergencies. However, the medical documents must be submitted.

How late can I cancel a Southwest flight?

A Southwest flight can be canceled up until 10 minutes after departure of their reserved flight. In case you fail to make the flight cancellation 10 minutes prior to the departure, the ticket's fare amount will be forfeited at Southwest. The passengers who had reserved a Business Select or Anytime ticket with the airline will get "Transferable Flight Credit" as a form of refund for their unused flight ticket if they fail to cancel their reservation 10 minutes prior to departure.

Can I get my money back if I cancel my flight?

When considering canceling a flight at Southwest, it is very common to wonder if you will get your money back. To be eligible for a refund, you must cancel your reservation as per Southwest Airlines' cancellation policies. Review the imposed policies to find out the conditions for getting a refund after canceling the flight:

  • The cancellation was made within the provided window of flight cancellation at Southwest.
  • The flight fare is flexible and allows you to cancel for the original payment mode refund.
  • You have chosen to cancel your flight ticket due to a 3 or more than 3 hours delay in the scheduled flight's boarding.
  • The booking has been added with travel insurance to get full refund on flight cancellation?ce already, and the cost will cover the same if you cancel your flight.

The best way of availing a full refund of your flight ticket's purchase amount is to cancel within the 24-hour time frame of purchase. If you can cancel within 24 hours of the ticket purchase, you will be entitled to receive the refund without any penalty charges. You can connect to the Southwest help desk to learn about the eligibility in detail and the possible charges for canceling a flight with them.