Southwest Airlines Careers
Benefits - The Freedom to Create and Innovate
We think big at Southwest Airlines … just look at some of the history-making ideas that came straight from our creative and innovative Leaders and Employees.
- The Ten-Minute Turnaround: A federal district judge ruled that Southwest could not fly charters out of state. Southwest’s fourth plane, which we received on September 29, 1971, was used not only for charters, but on our regular routes as well. The aircraft was sold on May 13, 1972. With only three planes, Southwest had to move quickly to keep from cutting back service. An Employee came up with a brilliant innovation–keep the planes on the ground no more than ten minutes, and we could still fly our same flight schedule. In doing so, we didn’t have to reduce the number of our flights. After all, planes make money in the air, not on the ground.
- Fuel from the Heart: In 1990, to help offset the enormous rise in jet fuel costs, many Southwest Employees begin purchasing jet fuel at $1.10 per gallon through payroll deduction. The program helped keep Southwest profitable through a difficult time in the industry.
- Ticketless Travel: On January 31, 1995, Southwest became the first major airline to offer Ticketless Travel systemwide, marking a new era in airline travel. Less than two months later, we boarded the one-millionth Ticketless Customer!
- Blended Winglets: Southwest Airlines announced in 2003 that we would add performance-enhancing Blended Winglets to our current and future fleet of Boeing 737-700’s. The visually distinctive winglets improve performance by extending the airplane’s range, saving fuel, lowering engine maintenance costs, and reducing takeoff noise.
Southwest Airlines is an equal opportunity employer.
