Amid high jet fuel prices, many airlines are revising their scheduling and trimming unsustainable routes, and Southwest Airlines is no exception to that trend.
Southwest has cut its initial growth targets in half and trimmed low-traffic routes, wrote TheStreet’s travel reporter Veronika Bondarenko. Even so, it has announced its largest-ever summer schedule for 2027, with a number of new routes.
The carrier has moved away from open seating, is offering assigned and premium seats, and plans to open its first-ever airport lounges in several major cities soon.
More recently, the low-cost carrier has announced a special offering encouraging travelers to take a break from their phones.
Southwest Airlines is giving away up to 10,500 free Rapid Rewards points
Southwest just launched a fun “Enter Airplane Mode” campaign to give travelers points for showing off their unread notifications, a nudge to step away from their screens. You can earn points by doing two things:
- Uploading screenshots
- You can upload a screenshot of your phone’s home screen showing your unread notification counts.
- You get 1 point for every unread notification, up to 10,000 points.
- Do this at NotificationVacation.com.
- Taking the “Burnout Quiz”
- Take a Burnout Quiz to gauge your level of burnout and earn 500 points.
While reaching the 10,000-notification max might sound impossible to “inbox zero” enthusiasts, it’s surprisingly common. A study on phone habits found that Gen Z users average more than 11,000 unread notifications, Workplace Insight noted.
Southwest lists a 500-point minimum for Notification Vacation, plus 500 for the quiz, but only while points last and subject to verification.
You should receive at least 1,000 points if both submissions are approved and points remain. If you are an inbox-zero person, just like me, Southwest didn’t indicate whether a near-empty screenshot qualifies for that minimum.
Southwest is setting aside more than 185 million points across both offers, with each Rapid Rewards member capped at 10,500 points.
But these are separate offerings. Completing one doesn’t automatically enter you into the other.
Most Americans spend at least 5 hours looking at screens daily
The idea behind this promotional campaign is motivating travelers to escape daily phone addiction, constant pings, and always-on schedules to avoid burnout, the company said in a press release.
More than three-quarters (76%) of respondents in a Southwest-sponsored survey reported feeling burned out, and 68% of respondents believe a trip is one way they can regain control of their time.
The carrier’s findings are in line with broader statistics. In fact, 53% of U.S. adults say they spend too much time on their smartphones, according to a Pew Research Center survey from May and June 2026.
For many Americans, their smartphone is the last thing they see at night and the first thing they see in the morning, a December 2025 YouGov survey showed. In fact, on an average day, the majority of Americans say they spend at least five hours looking at screens.
In addition, 73% of surveyed respondents reported at least one negative impact associated with their screen time, in the American Psychological Association’s 2024 Stress in America survey, conducted by The Harris Poll.
“As the airline that democratized the skies, Southwest Airlines has always helped make the dream trip a reality and our new campaign, ‘Enter Airplane Mode,’ encourages Customers to recognize when they’re approaching a breaking point and to turn that moment into their booking point,” said Sabrina Callahan, Southwest’s senior vice president and chief digital and marketing officer.
How to upload screenshots to access Southwest Airlines points offer
To upload a screenshot, open NotificationVacation.com on your phone and enter your Rapid Rewards number, View from the Wing shared.
Take screenshots of your home screens that clearly display unread notification counts during the promotion period. These screenshots should show genuine notifications on a device you regularly use.
You can upload up to 10 screenshots together, using original PNG or JPEG files. You can submit only once, so include all your screenshots before you hit confirm.
Review the count to make sure it’s accurate and select “Confirm & earn points.” Southwest awards one point per qualifying unread notification, subject to the minimum, maximum, verification requirements, and remaining supply.
Related: Airbnb CEO says travelers are about to see big changes
How do the notification points translate into a free flight?
If you constantly ignore your phone, your messy screen could earn you up to 10,000 points, which you can use to book a one-way flight.
Southwest Rapid Rewards points are tied directly to the cash price of a ticket. When cash fares go down or go on sale, the number of points you need for a flight drops as well.
If you max out the promotion and earn 10,500 points, you can often cover a short-haul, one-way domestic flight.
For example, short island-hopping flights in Hawaii, such as flying from Honolulu to Maui, have been available for as few as 4,000 points. Popular short-haul routes in the continental U.S., like Los Angeles to Las Vegas, can also drop into the 3,000- to 8,000-point range during sale events on Southwest’s Low Fare Calendar.
Even if you earn fewer points, your screen clutter still pays off. Southwest allows you to use Cash + Points on bookings starting at just 1,000 points. You can use your reward points to knock down the cash price of a flight ticket.
Here is how the notification points break down, assuming you also take the quiz:
- 100 unread notifications: 500 points + 500 quiz points = 1,000 total points
- 1,000 unread notifications: 1,000 points + 500 quiz points = 1,500 total points
- 6,200 unread notifications: 6,200 points + 500 quiz points = 6,700 total points
- 10,000 or more unread notifications: 10,000 points + 500 quiz points = 10,500 total points
The notification promotion ends Oct. 12, 2026, and the quiz ends Dec. 10, 2026. However, there is a limit on the number of points Southwest is giving away, so the offers could end sooner if the points run out.
To participate, you must be a Rapid Rewards member, at least 18 years old, and a resident of the U.S. or Washington, D.C.
Related: Delta Air Lines quietly ends 17 routes while adding new flights
