An in-depth look at Southwest Airlines' pilot salaries including pay rates for captains and first officers, benefits, and their 2024 hiring outlook

On definitely the right of the break travel season in December 2022, a as soon as-in-a-era blizzard crossed the Rocky Mountains formerly than stalling over the Great Plains, sending sturdy winds, freezing chills, practically about-zero visibility, and heavy, moist snow from Colorado to the Jap Seaboard.

A list fifty six” of snow fell in Buffalo, NY alone. The storm brought on mass flight cancellations that disrupted excursion plans, inspite of even as most airways had been again up and walking in some days, Southwest Airlines (LUV) in point of verifiable truth fell aside.

The storm set off a domino final result of chaos best by endeavor operations, as outdated scheduling structures and IT infrastructure (some dating to the Nineties) should no longer cope with up with rescheduling demand. Southwest’s flights, which operated on a “point-to-point” device that served smaller markets, saved reserve flight crews enormous quantities of miles far from the place they wished to be, making it no longer believable for the endeavor to regroup.

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Southwest swifter or later canceled sixteen,900 flights, left 2 million patrons stranded, and ended up paying out $1.1 billion in losses, which lined $750 million in purchaser reimbursements and a $A hundred and forty million nice from the U.S. Branch of Transportation.

Sidelined, frustrated, and entire of security worries, Casey Murray, a Southwest Captain and President of the Southwest Airlines Pilot Affiliation (SWAPA) recommended NPR that pilots had viewed these troubles building for years. Definitely, inside of the summertime of 2022, the SWAPA had taken to the wood traces, no longer for expanded pay or reward, inspite of alternatively to protest for advancements to Southwest’s device science.

Now not long after the meltdown, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan apologized to patrons and pledged $1 billion wonderful value of investments and advancements to endeavor IT structures. As of August 2024, 0.5 of its science has been moved to a extra surroundings friendly cloud running device, and its WiFi network is 10 situations swift than formerly than.

On board flights, patrons observed extra advancements inside of the form of redesigned cabins, big overhead storage containers, new, in-seat charging ports, and swift WiFi — and by utilising 2025, the endeavor has promised to make logging onto the online wholly free. It definitely is going to additionally transfer far from its open seating mannequin and out assigning seats, a transfer that Jordan says eighty% of patrons need.

The final public doesn’t look like holding grudges either, as charge-aware tourists booked even extra seats on the low-charge carrier at some stage inside of the 2023 excursion travel season than they did in 2022.

In May 2024, Southwest grew to change into named the #1 airline for purchaser carrier by utilising Newsweek in a survey of 30,000 patrons that accounted for conversation, professionalism, and accessibility over a three-year dimension.

And for those inside of the cockpit? In January 2024, Southwest’s pilots union delivered considered one of many airline marketplace’s largest wage will escalate, approving a manufacturer new contract that lined a 50% pay hike over here five years. It additionally lined a manufacturer new process for scheduling at some level of “distinct concerns to do.” Captain Murray summed up the deal by utilising announcing that it “justly rewards our pilots and helps our operational needs.”

Beneath the terms of the contract, pilots received a best away 29.15% lift, followed by utilising Four% will escalate each year by 2027 formerly than topping off with a final Three.25% escalate in 2028. Pilots additionally observed expanded reward to their retirement, scheduling, and parental leave policies.

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A rapidly historic past of Southwest Airlines

Proven in 1967 by utilising Herb Kelleher and Rollin King, Southwest grew to change into in the opening developed-in beneath the name of Air Southwest Co. and operated between Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. The airline catered largely to marketplace tourists and specialised in low-charge, off-best flights at some level of nights and weekends.

The airline has long been identified for its purchaser core of acceptance by a mix of humorous selling and marketing and marketing, sturdy neighborhood relations, and a time dimension it dubbed “transfarency,” self-described as a mix of treating patrons specifically even as turning in importance.

In 1971, the endeavor relocated to Dallas’ Love Field and reworked its name to Southwest Airlines. In its IPO on June 8, it adopted the ticker symbol LUV, demonstrating its commitment to the neighborhood — as wonderful as to its loyal patrons.

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Southwest is likewise identified for its innovation: It employed the marketplace’s first black captain, Louis Freeman, in 1980, and effectually sued to conclusion the undertaking of all-female flight attendants in 1981. It grew to change into the substantive airline to produce ticketless travel (1994) and owned the marketplace’s first net web page (1995).

What extensive vary pilots does Southwest have?

As of late, Southwest flies to 117 destinations inside of the U.S., Mexico, Precious The us, and the Caribbean and ranks because the part’s fifth-largest airline. Out of its 75,000 laborers, 10,746 are pilots.

Because of the of airline’s “point-to-point” network, pilots have a better network of base hubs to live in than distinct airways, inclusive of Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Oakland, Orlando, Phoenix, and, of course, Dallas.

Freedom One (737-800)

Gallons of Paint: 64 %twitter.com/Gsua5uwps5— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) August 19, 2023

How superb is Southwest’s fleet?

Southwest has a fleet of 817 Boeing plane. Completely running Boeing 737-series planes is a charge-saving manner for the airline, by skill of the the reality it lowers the value of practicing and repairs, because the plane share renowned materials. In keeping with Southwest, the renowned age of its fleet is 11 years.

To enchantment to its patrons and stand out inside of the sky, Southwest uses custom-designed paint jobs that speak volumes about the plane, many situations showcasing the flag of its domestic country, patriotic topics, or the particular cultures of destinations, like Hawaii.

For the clarification that that 1997, Southwest’s pilots have additionally participated in an “Undertake-a-Pilot” program and make lecture room appearances to fifth-grade students, who uncover out about existence as a pilot and habits STEM experiments on aerodynamics by utilising making and flying paper airplanes. Artistic students additionally draft designs for their pilot’s uniform neckties, and the winners get fabricated for Southwest’s entire fleet.

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How a lot do Southwest pilots make?

In keeping with Indeed, which compiles wage facts from laborers, customers, and job postings over a 12-month dimension, Southwest pilots make a median wage of $173,677 per year and extreme out as extreme as $479,000 per year.

Glassdoor uses a statistical manner that debts for clean day and most up-to-date job listings as wonderful as user-generated facts. It reviews Southwest pilot’s wage vary between $215,000 and $370,000 per year, with a median of $282,000. It additionally lists extra incentives of $24,000 per year, contain bonuses, commissions, and/or revenue sharing.

Even as distinct common airways pay their pilots hourly rates based on the form of plane flown, it’s extra perplexing to interrupt down Southwest’s pilot salaries this suggests, because the airline does concerns in a varied skill (any distinct time). Thrust Flight reviews that Southwest will pay its pilots by utilising flight part (243 miles) flown, and pilots earn 10% extra for every Forty extra hours flown. Their monthly reserve warranty is 87 flight segments over a 30-day dimension.

A extra on line supply, TheWrightExperience, has damaged down how a lot their pay per part is in undemanding of their new contract.

Southwest first officer pay

Southwest captain pay

In distinct words, a captain with five years of experience makes $300.forty two per part flown. In the experience that they're on reserve, they're assured to fly a minimal of 87 segments over a 30-day month (no longer inclusive of extra segments or past almost always happening time). That interprets to roughly $26,136 per month, or $313,638 per year.

What are Southwest’s pilot reward?

Southwest pilots obtain a finished reward bundle that consists of paid time devoid of work, scientific, dental, and imaginative and prescient insurance coverage, fast- and long-time dimension disability insurance coverage, parental and maternity leave, 18% retirement contributions, revenue sharing, and free unlimited standby travel privileges for themselves and their households.

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Does Southwest have a flight academy?

Southwest prepares its captains and first officers of here day by its Vacation spot 225 Pathway Program. This full-time, 13-month program trains cadets to change into Licensed Flight Instructors and gets them geared up for a profession as a Southwest First Officer. Identified candidates represent an array of backgrounds which may perhaps or may no longer contain earlier experience inside of the cockpit, as wonderful as roles with the U.S. navy.

Southwest companions with three regional carriers, CAE in Mesa, Ariz., SkyWarrior in Pensacola, Fla., and US Aviation in Denton, Texas, which affords flight coaching to cadets. Southwest First Officers serve as mentors for cadets by their travel.

How do I change into a Southwest pilot? What’s their 2024 outlook?

To make use of for a pilot job, go to the careers net page on the Southwest net web page: https://careers.southwestair.com.

On the conclusion of the COVID-19 pandemic, as purchaser demand for travel resumed, Southwest employed 1,A hundred and forty pilots in 2022 and 1,916 pilots in 2023.

Shuttle Weekly recommended that Southwest bear in mind to employ simply 350 pilots in 2024 and adjusted these plans per its marketing method, which estimated boom inside of the “low to mid-single digits” past 2024.

For the clarification that that Southwest operates an all-Boeing fleet, it has additionally been affected by ongoing crises on the beleaguered manufacturer. In January, the FAA ordered Boeing to halt manufacturing of all Boeing 737 MAX series plane after a chunk of fuselage fell off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on January 5, 2024.

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