What is southwest airlines flight change policy If you are aware of the regulations outlined below, you can change your flight by calling Southwest Airlines customer service. Southwest Airlines is widely recognized for not charging a fee for a flight change. Additionally, there are a few things you need to understand about Southwest Airlines' change flight policy. Here are a few examples: If you need to change your flight, make the change at least an hour before takeoff to avoid incurring extra fees or seeing ticket hikes. Your airline ticket will need to be canceled and there may be a cost if you don't do this prior to the deadline. The deadline is ten minutes before your scheduled departure.