Skip top navigation

WorkPerks

WorkPerks
Your Total Rewards Package
as a Southwest Employee
Apply now

Application Fees? No Way!
Southwest Airlines never charges for applying.

Southwest Airlines is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on basis of disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other legally protected status.

Medical Coverage
Employees choose from medical coverage options ranging from PPOs to a high deductible health plan. Southwest picks up a generous amount of the cost, making the monthly amount Employees pay for medical and prescription drug coverage for themselves and their Families affordable.

Dental Coverage
Dental coverage options include preventive, basic, major, and orthodontic care.

Vision Coverage
Vision coverage is an available option for Employees and their families, and includes complete eye exams and contact lenses, or lenses and frames.

Flexible Spending Accounts
Employees can save money by making tax-free contributions to flexible spending accounts for health care and dependent daycare.

Health Savings Account (HSA)
If enrolled in the Health Savings Plan, a Health Savings Account (HSA) is available for Employees to save for eligible healthcare expenses—now or in the future. Employees may receive triple tax savings through this account. A Company-paid concierge service is also available to those enrolling in this plan.

Short Term Disability
Noncontract Employees are covered by a Company-paid Short Term Disability plan in the event of an illness or injury that lasts more than one week.

Long Term Disability
Employees can choose from Company-paid or Employee-paid Long Term Disability plans* that help protect them and their Families in the event the Employee becomes disabled and can’t work for an extended period of time.

Basic Life Insurance
All Employees receive Basic Term Life Insurance at no cost, in a coverage amount equal to their annual salary, up to $50,000. Employees may elect Optional Life Insurance up to 10 times their salary, and choose from various levels of life insurance for their Spouse/Committed Partner and/or Children.

Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance
Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance is also available as another way to protect Employees and/or their Families in the event of an accident.

Other Available Benefits
Other available benefits include Adoption Assistance Reimbursement, Paid Adoption Leave, Child and Elder Care Resource and Referral Program, Committed Partner Benefits, a Concierge Program, Supplemental Hospital Insurance, Pet Insurance, Auto and Home Insurance, and Long Term Care Insurance.

*Pilots aren’t eligible, but may elect Long Term Disability coverage through Southwest Pilots’ Association

 

Wellness Rewards
Southwest Employees can live better on and off the job with wellness programs. Employees and their spouses can earn up to $500 by taking specific steps to be more engaged in their health and wellbeing.

Clear Skies - Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Employees and Family members have access to free counseling resources and work/life balance tools.

Time Off
Employees enjoy time off for personal use, vacation, or for care of themselves or a loved one. The amount of time off varies depending on your work group and years of service.

Employees earn excellent pay and can prepare for their future with our exceptional retirement programs.

401(k) Plan
Save for retirement through our 401(k) Plan with pre-tax or Roth contributions. Southwest will match Employee contributions dollar-for-dollar up to a range of their eligible salary between 8.3 and 9.3 percent. Employees can choose from a broad spectrum of investment options, and rollover any eligible funds from a previous employer.

ProfitSharing
Employees share in Southwest’s success with our ProfitSharing Plan, which rewards them for their contributions to Southwest’s profitability. Contributions are a percentage of their eligible salary and have ranged from one percent to nearly 16 percent over the past ten years. Southwest was the first in the airline industry to offer a ProfitSharing Plan.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan
With our Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Employees can purchase Southwest common stock at a 10 percent discount through payroll deductions after six months of continuous service.

Our Employees have the benefit of experiencing our legendary Culture firsthand. While every Employee is responsible for promoting and preserving our Culture, we also have a Culture Services Department that is charged with championing a Culture through which every Employee knows that he or she matters.

Our Culture is woven into all aspects of our business and our Employee’s lives, from the way Employees treat each other to the way that our Company puts our Employees first. Three vital elements of our Culture are appreciation, recognition, and celebration. In order to promote and foster a fun and healthy work environment, we work to appreciate every Employee through Local and Companywide Culture Committees. Employees take time to recognize each other through formal and informal ways, including internal awards and programs, such as the Winning Spirit Award. We have several prestigious Company awards that Employees can be nominated to receive, like the President’s Award, as well as recognize Company service through milestone anniversary celebrations. Celebrating is something that Southwest is known for—our Company history is full of fun and creative events, and our Employees enjoy annual Companywide celebrations such as Spirit Parties, Chili Cookoff, and the Southwest Rallies. On top of the Company-sponsored events, our Employees enjoy participating in locally-hosted celebrations and recognition for life events and milestones.

Flexibility
Non-uniformed Employees enjoy a casual dress code and a flexible schedule. Noncontract Employees in certain departments may benefit from alternative work schedules such as compressed workweeks, flexible start and end times, and job-sharing.

Holidays
Southwest recognizes ten holidays a year for Noncontract full-time Employees, one of which can be designated on a date of the Employee’s choosing each year.

Commuter Benefits
Commuter benefits save Employees money, allowing them to designate pretax payroll deductions to pay for commuting costs like bus, light rail, regional rail, streetcar, trolley, subway, ferry, and vanpool, plus they support environmental initiatives that are near and dear to our hearts.

Southwest Employees make a positive difference in the communities we serve.

Volunteering
Employees are encouraged to volunteer for causes that matter most to them, and Southwest supports them through our Tickets for Time program by donating roundtrip tickets to nonprofits based on Employee volunteer hours. Plus, we offer several volunteer opportunities throughout the year to allow Employees to make a difference with their Southwest Family.

Local Giving
Community Giving Boards made up of local Employees decide how Southwest will give back to charities in their neighborhoods, tapping into the passion points of their community.

National Giving
At the national level, Southwest makes a positive impact on a number of issues through our charitable relationships. By donating to organizations that support People and the communities we serve, we take pride knowing our donations of time, money, and resources have a meaningful impact.

Read more at Southwest.com/citizenship.

 

Southwest Employees can visit almost any corner of the world with generous travel privileges, and turn recognition into something meaningful with SWAG Points.

Travel Privileges
Employees have free unlimited travel privileges for themselves and eligible dependents on Southwest Airlines. Eligible dependents include spouse or committed/registered partner, eligible dependent children under 19 years old (or up to 24 if a full-time student), and parents. And, with pass agreements with other airlines and discounts with rental car companies, hotels, theme parks, and more, Employees can choose their own adventure.

Southwest Airlines Gratitude (SWAG) Points
At Southwest Airlines gratitude is a way of life. We make it easy for Employees to see all of the ways we recognize them in an online recognition platform we call SWAG—Southwest Airlines Gratitude. Employees can send recognition to each other with internal thank you notes we call “Kick Tails,” they can receive recognition from local Leadership all the way up to our CEO, and we even invite Customers to give out Kick Tails to our Employees on the ground or in the air. Our Employees can earn SWAG Points through some of our recognition and incentive programs and turn them into further rewards like Guest Passes for friends and family, Rapid Rewards® Points, merchandise, gift cards, or event tickets.

 

Southwest Airlines University (SWA U)
Southwest Airlines University, located in Southwest’s state-of-the-art training facility, provides technical training and personal and professional development opportunities through classroom and online formats.

Leadership Development

Southwest provides Leadership Development for Leaders at all levels. The Emerging Leadership Development program is a rotational program designed to develop well-rounded emerging Leaders. The Manager-in-Training Programs offer intensive Leadership development to prepare Leaders for the next level.

Movement Around The Company

We love to promote from within, and encourage movement around the Company to increase skills and Company knowledge.

Days In The Field
Days in the Field allow Employees to spend time in a department of interest and get an idea for which direction they would like to steer their Southwest career path.

Tuition Reimbursement
Southwest provides Employees opportunities for professional development, continuing education and skills training. Full-time Employees may be eligible for up to a $5,000 reimbursement annually for graduate degrees and $2,500 reimbursement annually for undergraduate degrees and certifications.

 

Employees stay connected to the Company and their Coworkers through a variety of channels!

SWALife, Connections, & SWALife TV
Employees can learn about what’s going on at Southwest and in their department, create and update a profile, leave comments on blog posts, connect with their Cohearts, and more on our intranet, SWALife, and through our new collaboration tool, Connections. For those on-the-go, SWALife TV (digital signs) provides a quick glance at a variety of news, operational stats, and local announcements.

EMail & Text
You heard it here first! Employees can read the SWA News Brief and important department updates by checking their Southwest email. Want to receive breaking SWA news via text? Go to SWALife >My Work >Resources >Communication Tools >Mobile.

LUVLines
Read all about it in our magazine for Employees, LUVLines, which publishes monthly and features Companywide and department-specific articles.

Social media
Find us on:

Facebook
facebook.com/Southwest

Twitter
@southwestair

YouTube
youtube.com/NutsAboutSouthwest

Instagram
@southwestair

Pinterest
pinterest.com/SouthwestAir