Southwest Airlines offers generous limited-time deal to win back customers

Like many airlines, Southwest has been struggling lately.

The carrier reported a net loss of $149 million in its first quarter results for 2025 and announced it is reducing capacity for the second half of the year. CFO Tom Doxey also acknowledged that demand would be soft throughout the year, and that unit revenue was likely to drop more in the second quarter than the first.

Amid its struggles, Southwest has made a series of unpopular decisions, including ending the carrier’s longstanding policy of allowing free checked bags. And it is making a switch to assigned seating later in this year, which is a break from its previous policy of allowing passengers to board in groups and pick their seats.

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While customers have not been happy with many of the moves the discount airline is making, they are likely to be very happy with a new offer Southwest just rolled out. It's a return of a popular past promo, which the carrier may be bringing back to try to encourage customers back into the fold.

There is a very limited time to take advantage of the generous offer, though, so you'd better act fast and get your flights booked as soon as possible.

You can fly Southwest at a great price.

Image source: Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Southwest’s new offer is a great deal if you can book quickly

Southwest’s new offer is a return of its popular Companion Pass promotion, which makes it possible to fly free with a friend if you can meet certain requirements.

In order to take advantage of the new deal, you will need to:

Register for the promotion on Southwest’s site.
Book either one round trip or two one-way flights. The booking of these flights must be made by June 27, 2025, which means that you have a pretty limited amount of time to get your travel booked.
Complete your travel by August 31, 2025.

If you do these three things, you will be rewarded with one free Companion Pass. The Companion Pass will be valid for travel any time between September 8, 2025, and November 15, 2025, which means that you have plenty of time to take the second trip with your friend.

You’ll need to provide your Southwest Rapid Rewards account number to take advantage of the promotion, but you can register for free to become a member if you are not already one.

The offer is good only on new qualifying flights, and you have to book directly through the Southwest Mobile app, Southwest.com, or Southwest partner distribution channels.

The qualifying flights also must be flown by the same Southwest member.

Free travel is always a good thing

Southwest’s deal is a great one for price-conscious customers who want a chance to fly with a friend and essentially pay half the cost.

With a Bankrate survey reporting that around 46% of people are planning to take a summer vacation, many people may already have their plans booked. Still, this deal provides the opportunity to add an extra bonus trip at a bargain-basement price.

For those who weren’t yet planning a vacation, cost was a major concern, with 65% of them indicating that price was the reason.

Southwest’s new offer may entice those who were worried about their budgets to book a long-awaited trip.

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The airline is likely hoping this offer will boost softening demand and prevent customer backlash from its recent unpopular changes.