This is it. Today is the final day to grab one of the best promotions Southwest Airlines has ever run for Hawaii travelers. By the end of Thursday, August 28, the chance to unlock a free companion ticket will be gone. If you are interested, you will need to act fast, because once the clock strikes midnight Central Time, this easy to achieve promotion disappears.
How it works.
To qualify, you must register for the promotion by tonight and purchase a qualifying round trip or two one-way flights on Southwest between August 25 and August 28. Travel must be completed by November 15, 2025.
Only paid flights in eligible fare classes count. Basic fares do not qualify, and neither do Southwest vacation packages. Southwest also requires that you book through its own official channels, such as Southwest.com or the Southwest app.
If you meet those requirements, Southwest will grant you a Promotional Companion Pass. That pass is valid for travel from January 6 through March 6, 2026, and it allows one designated person to fly with you on any Southwest flight you book and complete during that window. The companion pays only the mandatory government taxes and fees, starting at $5.60 each way. You can change your designated companion up to three times during the two months.
What it means for Hawaii.
Southwest flies between the islands, including Honolulu, Kona, Hilo, Kauai, and Maui, as well as to the West Coast, and offers interisland flights. This pass could be used to bring a friend or family member for nearly free on any of these flights. The savings can be significant.
Picture a February round trip between Honolulu and Los Angeles priced at $500. With the Companion Pass, your travel partner’s fare would be reduced to about $10 in taxes and fees. That is nearly $500 saved on a single ticket, which can easily cover extra nights of lodging, interisland tours, or dining out in Waikiki.
For Hawaii residents, this promotion may be beneficial if you already had travel plans in place before November 15. By completing one of those qualifying trips now, you could bring a spouse, child, or friend along for free when you fly early next year. For visitors, it may be an incentive to plan a winter trip to Hawaii while flights remain available.
The catch comes with restrictions.
As with most deals that sound too good to be true, the restrictions matter. The most significant limitation is the short validity period. The pass is valid for travel from January 6 through March 6, 2026, which coincides with Hawaii’s peak winter season, featuring whales, surf, and high demand. After that, this disappears.
There is also the requirement to have completed a qualifying trip by November 15. For Hawaii residents, that lines up just before the busy holiday period, which could work out if you already have travel planned then. For others, it may mean paying for an extra fall trip anywhere to unlock the companion benefit for use in Hawaii later.
Another detail is that the free pass does not cover everything. No Rapid Rewards points are earned on the companion ticket, and certain fare types and bookings remain excluded.
The last call to register is today.
Registration ends tonight, Thursday, August 28 at 11:59 p.m. CT. There is no grace period. If you want to bring a companion to Hawaii this winter for almost nothing, the window is closing fast.
Have you used Southwest’s Companion Pass before, and does this short-term version make sense for your Hawaii travel plans? Or is the timing too restrictive to be worth it?
Please share your thoughts, and let us know if you registered before tonight’s deadline. Happy Hawaii travels.
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