At the peak of the holiday travel season in December 2022, a once-in-a-generation blizzard crossed the Rocky Mountains before stalling over the Great Plains, sending strong winds, freezing chills, near-zero visibility, and heavy, wet snow from Colorado to the Eastern Seaboard.
A record 56” of snow fell in Buffalo, NY alone. The storm caused mass flight cancellations that disrupted holiday plans, but while most airlines were back up and running in a few days, Southwest Airlines (LUV) simply fell apart.
The storm set off a domino effect of chaos across company operations, as outdated scheduling systems and IT infrastructure (some dating to the 1990s) could not keep up with rescheduling demand. Southwest’s flights, which operated on a “point-to-point” system that served smaller markets, kept reserve flight crews hundreds of miles away from where they needed to be, making it impossible for the company to regroup.
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Southwest ultimately canceled 16,900 flights, left 2 million customers stranded, and ended up paying out $1.1 billion in losses, which included $750 million in customer reimbursements and a $140 million fine from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Sidelined, frustrated, and full of safety concerns, Casey Murray, a Southwest Captain and President of the Southwest Airlines Pilot Association (SWAPA) told NPR that pilots had seen these problems building for years. In fact, in the summer of 2022, the SWAPA had taken to the picket lines, not for increased pay or benefits, but rather to protest for improvements to Southwest’s system technology.
Not long after the meltdown, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan apologized to customers and pledged $1 billion worth of investments and upgrades to company IT systems. As of August 2024, half of its technology has been moved to a more efficient cloud operating system, and its WiFi network is 10 times faster than before.
On board flights, customers noticed additional improvements in the form of redesigned cabins, larger overhead storage bins, new, in-seat charging ports, and faster WiFi — and by 2025, the company has promised to make logging onto the internet completely free. It will also move away from its open seating model and begin assigning seats, a move that Jordan says 80% of customers want.
The public doesn’t seem to be holding grudges either, as price-conscious travelers booked even more seats on the low-cost carrier during the 2023 holiday travel season than they did in 2022.
In May 2024, Southwest was named the #1 airline for customer service by Newsweek in a survey of 30,000 customers that accounted for communication, professionalism, and accessibility over a three-year period.
And for those in the cockpit? In January 2024, Southwest’s pilots union delivered one of the airline industry’s biggest salary increases, approving a new contract that included a 50% pay hike over the following five years. It also included a new process for scheduling during “unusual events.” Captain Murray summed up the deal by saying that it “justly rewards our pilots and supports our operational needs.”
Under the terms of the contract, pilots received an immediate 29.15% raise, followed by 4% increases each year through 2027 before topping off with a final 3.25% increase in 2028. Pilots also saw increased benefits to their retirement, scheduling, and parental leave policies.
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A short history of Southwest Airlines
Founded in 1967 by Herb Kelleher and Rollin King, Southwest was originally incorporated under the name of Air Southwest Co. and operated between Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. The airline catered primarily to business travelers and specialized in low-cost, off-peak flights during nights and weekends.
The airline has long been known for its customer focus through a mix of humorous advertising, strong community relations, and a term it dubbed “transfarency,” self-described as a mix of treating customers fairly while delivering value.
In 1971, the company relocated to Dallas’ Love Field and changed its name to Southwest Airlines. In its IPO on June 8, it adopted the ticker symbol LUV, demonstrating its commitment to the area — as well as to its loyal customers.
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Southwest is also known for its innovation: It hired the industry’s first black captain, Louis Freeman, in 1980, and successfully sued to end the practice of all-female flight attendants in 1981. It was the first airline to offer ticketless travel (1994) and owned the industry’s first website (1995).
How many pilots does Southwest have?
Today, Southwest flies to 117 destinations in the U.S., Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean and ranks as the world’s fifth-largest airline. Out of its 75,000 employees, 10,746 are pilots.
Due to the airline’s “point-to-point” network, pilots have a larger network of base hubs to reside in than other airlines, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Oakland, Orlando, Phoenix, and, of course, Dallas.
Freedom One (737-800)
— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) August 19, 2023
Gallons of Paint: 64 pic.twitter.com/Gsua5uwps5
How large is Southwest’s fleet?
Southwest has a fleet of 817 Boeing aircraft. Exclusively operating Boeing 737-series planes is a cost-saving method for the airline, as it lowers the cost of training and maintenance, as the aircraft share common parts. According to Southwest, the average age of its fleet is 11 years.
To appeal to its customers and stand out in the sky, Southwest uses custom-designed paint jobs that speak volumes about the aircraft, often showcasing the flag of its home state, patriotic themes, or the specific cultures of destinations, like Hawaii.
Since 1997, Southwest’s pilots have also participated in an “Adopt-a-Pilot” program and make classroom appearances to 5th-grade students, who learn about life as a pilot and conduct STEM experiments on aerodynamics by making and flying paper airplanes. Artistic students also draft designs for their pilot’s uniform neckties, and the winners get fabricated for Southwest’s entire fleet.
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How much do Southwest pilots make?
According to Indeed, which compiles salary information from employees, users, and job postings over a 12-month period, Southwest pilots make an average salary of $173,677 per year and top out as high as $479,000 per year.
Glassdoor uses a statistical method that accounts for current and recent job listings as well as user-generated data. It reports Southwest pilot’s salary range between $215,000 and $370,000 per year, with a median of $282,000. It also lists additional incentives of $24,000 per year, which could include bonuses, commissions, and/or profit sharing.
While other major airlines pay their pilots hourly rates based on the type of aircraft flown, it’s harder to break down Southwest’s pilot salaries this way, as the airline does things differently (yet again). Thrust Flight reports that Southwest pays its pilots by flight segment (243 miles) flown, and pilots earn 10% more for every 40 additional hours flown. Their monthly reserve guarantee is 87 flight segments over a 30-day period.
Another online source, TheWrightExperience, has broken down how much their pay per segment is in light of their new contract.
Southwest first officer pay
| Experience | Pay per segment flown |
|---|---|
1 Year |
$116.41 |
3 Years |
$192.14 |
5 Years |
$201.28 |
10 Years |
$218.65 |
12+ Years |
$222.08 |
Southwest captain pay
| Experience | Pay per segment flown |
|---|---|
1 Year |
$291.02 |
3 Years |
$295.60 |
5 Years |
$300.42 |
10 Years |
$312.35 |
12+ Years |
$317.25 |
In other words, a captain with five years of experience makes $300.42 per segment flown. If they are on reserve, they are guaranteed to fly at least 87 segments over a 30-day month (not including additional segments or overtime). That translates to roughly $26,136 per month, or $313,638 per year.
What are Southwest’s pilot benefits?
Southwest pilots receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid time off, medical, dental, and vision insurance, short- and long-term disability insurance, parental and maternity leave, 18% retirement contributions, profit sharing, and free unlimited standby travel privileges for themselves and their families.
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Does Southwest have a flight academy?
Southwest prepares its captains and first officers of tomorrow through its Destination 225 Pathway Program. This full-time, 13-month program trains cadets to become Certified Flight Instructors and gets them ready for a career as a Southwest First Officer. Typical candidates represent an array of backgrounds that may or may not include previous experience in the cockpit, as well as roles with the U.S. military.
Southwest partners with three regional carriers, CAE in Mesa, Ariz., SkyWarrior in Pensacola, Fla., and US Aviation in Denton, Texas, which provides flight instruction to cadets. Southwest First Officers serve as mentors for cadets through their journey.
FG Trade; Getty Images
How do I become a Southwest pilot? What’s their 2024 outlook?
To apply for a pilot job, visit the careers page on the Southwest website: https://careers.southwestair.com.
At the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, as customer demand for travel resumed, Southwest hired 1,140 pilots in 2022 and 1,916 pilots in 2023.
Travel Weekly reported that Southwest planned to hire just 350 pilots in 2024 and adjusted these plans according to its business plan, which estimated growth in the “low to mid-single digits” beyond 2024.
Since Southwest operates an all-Boeing fleet, it has also been affected by ongoing crises at the beleaguered manufacturer. In January, the FAA ordered Boeing to halt production of all Boeing 737 MAX series aircraft after a piece of fuselage fell off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on January 5, 2024.
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