Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines is a major carrier in the United States. It is headquartered at the Dallas Love Field neighborhood in Dallas, Texas.

As of 2024, it ranks as the fourth-largest airline in North America by passenger volume. The airline operates a fleet consisting entirely of Boeing 737 aircraft.

It serves more than 100 destinations. These locations span 42 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The airline also reaches ten other territories near the southern United States. These include Aruba, the Bahamas, Belize, the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica, and Turks and Caicos.

Southwest uses a unique operational method called a point-to-point system. This differs from the hub-and-spoke system used by many other major airlines. In a hub-and-spoke model, airlines fly many routes through one central airport. Southwest instead uses a rolling-hub model in its base cities. This means the airline has no single central hub. Instead, it has specific airports that simply have more destinations than others. This strategy helps the airline maintain high productivity. It aims to reduce aircraft turnaround time, which is the time a plane spends at a gate between flights.

The airline's history began on March 9, 1967. Herb Kelleher and Rollin King established the company as Air Southwest Co. In 1971, it adopted the name Southwest Airlines Co. During this time, it operated as an intrastate airline within Texas. Its earliest routes flew between Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. The company began regional interstate service in 1979. It expanded to a nationwide scale in the following decades. In its early years, the airline even leased different planes, such as the Boeing 727.

Passenger boarding underwent a major change recently. Until January 26, 2026, Southwest used an open seating policy. Passengers were assigned a boarding group—A, B, or C—and a number. They then selected any available seat upon boarding. A 2012 episode of MythBusters suggested this process was faster than conventional methods.

On January 27, 2026, the airline transitioned to assigned seating. Now, passengers are grouped by seat location during boarding. The airline also introduced extra-legroom seating in May 2025. This update applies to the first rows and exit doors on Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Southwest also manages a frequent-flyer program called Rapid Rewards. This program began on June 18, 1987, as The Company Club. Originally, members earned one credit per one-way flight. After 16 credits within 24 months, members earned a free round-trip ticket. The program was renamed Rapid Rewards in 1996. On March 1, 2011, it transitioned to a revenue-based points system. Members now earn and redeem points based on ticket price and fare type. This change eliminated blackout dates and seat restrictions. Since October 2019, points do not expire if the member remains active.

The company's corporate campus has seen significant growth. In 2016, Southwest broke ground on a facility known as Wings. This includes a 420,000-square-foot, six-story office building. It also features the Leadership Education and Aircrew Development (LEAD) Center. This center opened on April 3, 2018, and serves as a pilot training facility. The LEAD Center can house 18 flight simulators, with plans to expand to 26 bays. This infrastructure supports the airline's massive workforce. In 2024, the airline had 72,450 active full-time equivalent employees.

Southwest's business model has influenced many other low-cost carriers (LCCs). Many airlines now follow its strategy of combining high productivity with low unit costs. In Europe, EasyJet and Ryanair are well-known examples. Other global carriers include WestJet in Canada and AirAsia in Asia. In India, IndiGo follows a similar model. Other examples include Jetstar in Australia, Cebu Pacific in the Philippines, and Pegasus Airlines in Turkey. By focusing on efficiency, Southwest helped define how budget airlines operate around the world.