FAQ/International Travel: Booking Your Flight

If you choose to book two separate reservations to connect flights from your point of origin to an international destination and return, please be aware of the following limitations and how they will impact your travel:

1. You will have two separate reservations and two separate tickets.
2. You must check in for your flights separately in order to receive boarding passes for both reservations.
3. Your baggage will be checked to the destination listed on each ticket, not all the way through to your final destination. This means you must:
   • Leave the secured area of the airport.
   • Claim your luggage at baggage claim.
   • Re-check your luggage at the ticket counter to the destination listed on your second ticket.
     1. Note: Check-in for international flights closes one hour prior to departure. 
   • Proceed back through the security checkpoint for screening.
   • Arrive at your departure gate ready for boarding at least 20 minutes prior to your next flight’s departure. We may begin boarding as early as 30 minutes prior to your flight’s scheduled departure time.
   • If you have not arrived at the departure gate at least 10 minutes prior to departure, and have not notified Southwest of your intention not to travel, your reservation is subject to cancellation and your seat may be relinquished to another Customer. You will not be eligible for denied boarding compensation and will be considered a “no show” Customer.
4. Because you are not traveling on a scheduled connection and are building your own flight itinerary, some protections afforded in our Contract of Carriage for disruptions will not apply to you or your travel.
5. If you choose to book reservations in the manner, we suggest you allow no less than three hours between flights.

Make sure to check back often as our schedule changes frequently and connecting service may be available in the near future.

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For Customers in Mexico, please note that due to country-specific currency differences, we most likely will not advertise price points for our sale fares within email communication. You will need to visit Southwest.com to view routes on sale and corresponding fares.

Yes, Southwest® Gift Cards will be accepted as payment for itineraries that include international flights. However, please note that Southwest® Gift Cards will not be accepted as a form of payment for any taxes or fees collected at international airports which are not collected on a ticket.

You can only purchase a Southwest® Gift Card using U.S. dollars or a credit card.

Yes, you can purchase EarlyBird Check-In for an itinerary containing at least one international flight.

Yes, you can purchase a Business Select Fare for any Southwest flight, domestic or international. Just like for domestic flights, a limited number of Business Select fares will be available for purchase on international flights.

If you originally booked a Wanna Get Away or an Anytime Fare and choose to upgrade to the Business Select Fare prior to your trip, please be advised that this constitutes a change in fare class and the initial amount paid will become nonrefundable as a result. This refundability policy is unique to all itinerary changes that apply to international travel.

No, promo codes (e.g. promotional discount codes) cannot be applied to purchases of flight itineraries that include at least one international leg. They can only be applied to domestic U.S. itineraries at this time.

At this time, international flights are not available for booking at Swabiz.com.

To book Infant, Child, or Military Fares for international flights, please contact us to book via phone at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792). After booking, you can view or cancel existing international itineraries for any of these fare types online at Southwest.com.

Yes! Users are able to book international flights via the 5.6.1+ versions of the Android and iOS mobile apps or the Southwest.com mobile website.

Yes, we will accept bookings for groups of 10 or more for all flights (including international flights) as part of our Group Travel program, which offers several additional benefits. Group bookings must be made via phone. Customers calling from within the United States can contact Group Reservations at 1 (800) 308-5037 Monday – Friday between the hours of 7:00am 10:00pm, Central Time.

You must provide your passport information prior to checking in for your flight, but it is not required in order to make a reservation. You may do so during the booking process at Southwest.com, after you book your flight online, during the online check in process, or at the airport on your day of travel using a kiosk or at the Southwest Airlines Ticket Counter. To reduce wait times at the airport, we highly recommend that you enter your required passport information online at Southwest.com prior to travel.

In addition, please note that there are other types of documents that may be used in order to travel internationally in addition to a passport, such as a Visa or Green Card.

See our Forms of Payment page.

Flights that have already departed or are within two hours of their scheduled departure time will not display on the Select Flights page at Southwest.com. To book an international flight for same-day travel, you can contact us via phone at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792) or see a Customer Service Agent at the Southwest Airlines Ticket Counter upon arrival at the airport. Please note that bookings cannot be created within 90 minutes of an international flight’s scheduled departure time.

Standard procedures for refunds for tickets purchased using a credit card is to issue a refund to the credit card. Standard procedures for all refunds purchased other than using a credit card is to refund via check issued in U.S. dollars mailed to the address that you provided on your original reservation.  If you used local currency to purchase a refundable ticket for an international flight that has not yet been flown and would like to cancel your reservation and request a refund, then you must go to the airport in the applicable local country to receive your cash refund in local currency.

You should anticipate that any purchases while traveling internationally will be charged in the local currency. In some locations U.S. dollars may be accepted if permitted by law. Currently U.S. dollars are accepted in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.