Assuming that you were casually considering vacationing in the summer and were waiting to get a justification to do so, Southwest Airlines just provided one. The airline is in the middle of a flash sale where it is offering up to 40% off base fares on a large number of routes and the discount is available whether you are using cash or Rapid Rewards points. 

The offer is FLOWERS, and the deadline is April 23, 2026. It is a short deadline, and all you need to know to make a quick decision on whether this sale fits into your plans.

What the Sale Covers and Where it gets complicated.

It is a fare reduction on the base fares on the qualifying Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred and Choice Extra fare classes purchased directly with Southwest. The 40% discount is automatic in the event you use the promo code at check in with no prepurchase, and this means you can make a reservation nearer to your traveling date without loss of discount.

A bit more complicated comes in the eligibility of travel date and route which differs according to where you are flying. Instead of an all-inclusive (all flights all summer) sale, the sale breaks down its coverage into multiple smaller buckets:

• Routes in Continental U.S.: Travel is valid May 10 June 10 and August 11 September 30, 2026, with blackout dates on May 21, 22, 25, September 4, and September 7. Sundays are not considered at all.
• Interisland Hawaii flights: Travel May 10-10 June, Monday through Thursday.
• Continental U.S. to/from Hawaii, Puerto Rico and international destinations: Travel: Valid August 11 until September 30, 2026, with blackout dates on September 4 and 7. Outbound flights of the continental U.S. have to be on Tuesday to Friday; return flights to the mainland are also on Tuesday to Friday. The routes to Puerto Rico are acceptable on Mondays and Thursdays.
• Exclusions: The flights between Anchorage, Aruba, and St. Thomas are excluded in this promotion.

The date limits imply that this sale will be most appropriate to the travelers who have the flexibility to travel during the shoulder seasons of late May to early June and the second half of August to late September. The blackout dates will cause friction mostly on the domestic routes on peak summer weeks, holiday weekends and Sundays.

The Discounts As They Really Appear

To provide you with a real idea of the savings, a sample one way fare between Las Vegas and San Francisco under this promotion is Basic 78 and Choice 111. They are substantial discounts off of regular fares on a competitive domestic flight, and they demonstrate the type of value you can get when Southwest offers a sale as extensive as that.

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Since Southwest Rapid Rewards is a revenue based loyalty program that is, point values change in direct relation to cash prices the discount is also transferred directly to award bookings. The flight prices on the same Las Vegas to San Francisco in the sale cost about 4,500 Rapid Rewards points. At that, we would be dealing with a redemption between 1.1 and 1.5 cents on the dollar, which is more in line with typical Southwest point value. You will not get the big inflated redemption leverage like you would with a more traditional airline mileage system, but the uniformity is an advantage to the traveler who likes to know what to expect.

The Low Fare Calendar created by Southwest is useful when your dates are not fixed it is effortless to scan over a variety of travel days and instantly see where the lowest-priced deals lie in the accepted range.

Already Booked? You Might Be Able to Rebook and Save

Among the more practical things about this sale is that Southwest has a flexible cancellation policy that has provided a free way out to savings on trips that you already had planned. The offer does not apply to already made reservations, however, in case the same flight you are already reserving is now appearing with the discounted price with the promo code applied, then you can again reserve it at the discounted price and cancel the previous reservation to receive a full refund or travel credit. This type of rebooking is easy and risk-free since Southwest does not impose change or cancellation fees.

Some of the Things Worth Knowing about Southwest at the moment

Having not flown with Southwest in a recent past, it is worth mentioning that this airline has already changed a few crucial aspects which influence the process of booking and traveling with the airline.

In 2025, Southwest launched Basic fares, which had been renamed Wanna Get Away. Basic has become the lowest cost, but it is limited most significantly in the area of checked baggage. Southwest has long had a policy of giving all passengers two free checked bags, but that was discontinued in May 2025. At this point, you are now given the option of free checked bags based on the type of fare you have purchased, whether or not you have a Southwest co-branded credit card and the level of elite status you have under the program. When you are booking in the Basic fare bracket where the lowest sale fares normally reside, you might not necessarily be included in the number of free bags and it is a factor of cost that should be considered in comparison to other airlines.

Assigned seating and free Wi-Fi are also new features in the Southwest model that long-term customers were used to, which the airline has implemented.

When you have one of the co-branded credit cards with Southwest, you'll earn 2-4 Rapid Rewards points per dollar in Southwest purchases to give this sale a significant accelerator on top of the already discounted fares.

The Bottom Line

Southwest's current flash sale offers up to 40% off base fares on domestic, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and select international routes, with travel windows covering late spring and late summer 2026. The promo code is FLOWERS, booking closes April 23, and there's no advance purchase requirement.

Before you click confirm, double-check two things: that your travel dates fall within the eligible windows and outside the blackout dates, and that you've accounted for any bag fees if you're booking a Basic fare. With those boxes checked, this sale is a legitimate opportunity to lock in solid summer fares at a meaningful discount.