Southwest Becomes First U.S. Airline To Launch a ChatGPT Plugin — but It Doesn’t Support Points Bookings

Southwest Airlines has launched a ChatGPT plugin today, October 6, 2026 — the first U.S. airline to do so, though other carriers have their own AI tools that live on their websites, rather than inside ChatGPT.

Southwest’s new plugin lets travelers search for Southwest flights and compare different fares inside ChatGPT. Unfortunately, it doesn’t support Rapid Rewards bookings using points yet.

Let’s look at this new feature to see what it can do — and what it can’t.

Southwest Airlines’ New ChatGPT Plugin

The new ChatGPT plugin covers all of Southwest Airlines flight destinations and fare types. If you ask for a flight between 2 cities, the ChatGPT plugin shows Southwest results inside the conversation. From there, you can update dates, sort results, filter by departure time, or even filter for nonstop flights only.

The results display all 4 of Southwest’s fare types: Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra. Choosing one of these opens a side-by-side comparison of each fare’s inclusions and the Rapid Rewards points you’ll earn on that ticket.

However, you won’t finish the booking and pay for your ticket inside ChatGPT. You’ll click on “Continue on Southwest.com” once you’ve found something you like, and this takes you to the airline’s website. Your flight details will be populated already, and you’ll provide the passenger and payment information here.

From our test searches, the pricing inside ChatGPT and on Southwest’s website matched. There were a few limitations, though.

The plugin only showed cash fares, not any options to redeem Rapid Rewards points. Additionally, ChatGPT won’t take you to Southwest.com in a logged-in session, meaning your name and Rapid Rewards account — and any associated benefits — won’t be connected automatically. You’ll still need to log in. Moreover, children ages 5 to 17 who are flying alone can’t be booked through this plugin.

Why Southwest Is Doing This

Southwest describes today’s launch as merely the first step in a multiphase approach to using AI to help with bookings. The airline’s goal is to reach travelers sooner — at the point of deciding where to go and what carrier to fly with — giving them a more direct path to booking directly with Southwest.

“Customers are evolving how they plan their travel, and Southwest is helping to shape what comes next,” said Sabrina Callahan, chief digital and marketing officer at Southwest.

Lauren Woods, the airline’s chief information officer, said Southwest is building a secure, scalable foundation that it hopes can lead to more (and faster) AI developments in the future. The carrier hasn’t shared what later phases might look like or when they’ll become public.

Southwest Isn’t the First Airline in ChatGPT

While Southwest is the first U.S.-based airline to offer a ChatGPT plugin, Virgin Atlantic already offers one. That launched back in April. Virgin Atlantic’s tool functions similarly, showing flight options in the chat before sending customers to the airline’s website to complete their reservations.

How To Use ChatGPT Plugins

To set up plugins like this one from Southwest, follow these steps:

• Log in to ChatGPT and select Plugins from the sidebar.
• Search for “Southwest,” then click on the button to install.
• Start a new chat, type @Southwest, and then choose Southwest Airlines from the menu that appears.
• Type your request, including details about your trip.

Before installing the new plugin, know that ChatGPT says it may share relevant chats and memories with the plugin. However, you can disconnect it at any time in your settings.

Final Thoughts

Southwest Airlines’ new ChatGPT plugin is a quick way to compare cash fares and ticket prices without running your own search on the airline’s website. Plus, the handoff from ChatGPT to Southwest kept pricing and itinerary details intact when we tested it.

That said, the lack of points pricing is a noticeable gap that may frustrate customers at this point.