Southwest Airlines, once renowned for its traveler-friendly policies including free changes and cancellations on even its lowest fares, has significantly altered its booking landscape. With the rollout of new fare types in May 2025, taking effect on January 27, 2026, passengers are advised to re-evaluate their booking strategies, particularly concerning the new "Basic" fare.

Historically, Southwest's "Wanna Get Away" fares allowed travelers to modify flights at no cost and rebook if fares dropped, enabling savings. However, the newly introduced "Basic" fare, now the cheapest option, comes with stricter limitations. A key change is that modifying a trip is no longer possible; instead, travelers must cancel the flight entirely and rebook. While there's no cancellation fee, the "Basic" fare is non-refundable. Passengers will receive a flight credit for the cancelled flight's value, but this credit now carries a new six-month expiration period, a significant departure from previous policies.

This new restriction particularly complicates round-trip bookings. If a traveler books a round-trip using the "Basic" fare and wishes to change just one leg of the journey, they are forced to cancel the entire itinerary. This means that a favorable fare on the unchanged leg could be lost if its price has increased upon rebooking, potentially turning an initial deal into a more expensive trip.

To circumvent these new complexities and maintain flexibility, experts and travel influencers, such as KC Savvy Travelers, recommend booking two separate one-way tickets instead of a single round-trip. This strategy allows travelers to manage each flight segment independently. If the price of an outbound flight drops, for example, only that specific one-way ticket needs to be cancelled and rebooked, preserving the return flight's original fare and avoiding the risk of increased costs for the entire journey. This tactic has been confirmed to be effective under the new fare system, though many travelers remain unaware of this money-saving trick.

It's important to note that this strategy primarily benefits those purchasing the "Basic" fare. For travelers opting for higher fare tiers—Choice, Choice Preferred, or Choice Extra—the previous level of flexibility largely remains. These premium fares offer free changes and standbys for same-day shifts, and their flight credits do not come with the restrictive six-month expiration deadline. Consequently, these tiers are a better fit for those willing to pay more for enhanced flexibility without the risk associated with "Basic" fare changes.

These fare changes are part of a broader series of adjustments by Southwest Airlines that have led to growing customer dissatisfaction. Other significant policy shifts contributing to customer backlash include the phasing out of the popular open-seating policy and the ending of the "bags fly free" policy, both of which were once distinguishing features that kept Southwest customers content.