United States · LCC
Southwest Airlines
WN · SWA Unaligned LCC
Reference
- IATA / ICAO
- WN · SWA
- Country
- United States
- Founded
- 1967
- Headquarters
- Dallas, Texas, US
- Chief executive
- Bob Jordan
- Ownership
- Public (NYSE: LUV)
- Employees
- 72,000 (2024)
Fleet
| Aircraft type | Count |
|---|---|
| Boeing 737-700 | 196 |
| Boeing 737-800 | 207 |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 251 |
| Boeing 737-800 (other) | 161 |
Hubs & focus cities
A hub is the carrier's primary connecting base; a focus city is a smaller market with concentrated point-to-point service. Codes link to per-airport profiles when available.
Ownership & financials
Network
Route network: 120+ destinations.
Per-route passenger volumes from US DOT BTS T-100 segment data are a planned upgrade to this block.
Loyalty program
Program: Rapid Rewards
Notable history
Founded in 1967 as Air Southwest by Rollin King and Herb Kelleher; began operating in 1971 after a four-year legal battle with Texas Aeronautics Commission. Pioneered the all-737, point-to-point, no-assigned-seats, no-bag-fees low-cost model that reshaped the US domestic industry. Operates the largest Boeing 737 fleet in the world. Restricted out of Dallas Love Field for decades by the Wright Amendment, fully repealed in 2014. Announced the end of open seating and the introduction of bag fees and assigned seating starting 2025.
About this profile
Reference data (codes, headquarters, founding year, alliance, ownership) is curated from each carrier's own published materials, the US DOT BTS Form 41 filings, and SEC filings for publicly-listed carriers. Fleet rosters reflect the active in-service fleet at the time of the most recent data refresh; aircraft on order are not counted toward fleet totals. Average fleet age is calculated from the same active fleet.
Hubs and focus cities are sourced from the carrier's own destinations or about pages. Loyalty program partner lists are drawn from each program's published partner roster.
This profile is re-verified on a recurring monthly cadence aligned to the US DOT BTS Form 41 release schedule.