Southwest Airlines Careers - WorkPerks (2024)

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.

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 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.

Southwest Airlines Careers - WorkPerks (2024)

FAQs

How much do Southwest employees get paid? ›

Average Southwest Airlines hourly pay ranges from approximately $8.00 per hour for Reservation Agent to $33.72 per hour for Aircraft Maintenance Technician. Salary information comes from 2,840 data points collected directly from employees, users, and past and present job advertisements on Indeed in the past 36 months.

How many free flights do Southwest employees get? ›

"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.

Which airline has the best employee perks? ›

Southwest Airlines is known for its fun-loving culture and commitment to customer service. It's also considered one of the best airlines to work for in terms of employee satisfaction. The company offers generous benefits packages and profit-sharing plans that allow employees to share in its success.

What are the perks of working for Southwest? ›

Financial benefits include retirement through a 401(k) Plan, including Company match Employee Stock Purchase plan, and ProfitSharing Plan. Paid time off, including vacations, personal time, sick time, disability, and for Noncontract Employees, holidays and parental leave.

Is it hard to get hired at Southwest Airlines? ›

It is not unusual for us to interview more than 100 people to fill a single position. We intentionally spend an inordinate amount of time on the recruiting and hiring process. Since we believe that our employees are the key to our success, we hire tough at Southwest.

Does Southwest Airlines pay weekly or biweekly? ›

All of our Employees are paid on the 5th and 20th of each month!

Can my boyfriend fly for free if I work at Southwest? ›

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 age 24 if a full-time student), and parents.

Do Southwest employees get hotel discounts? ›

Employees and their parents/immediate family can fly at no charge on Southwest Airlines. Employees also receive discounts on hotels, rental cars, and amusement parks.

How much PTO do Southwest employees get? ›

Southwest Airlines' PTO and Vacation policy typically gives 20-30 days off a year with 71% of employees expected to be work free while out of office.

How many Buddy passes do Southwest employees get? ›

Yes you get buddy passes, up to 8 per year, best in the industry. They charge you taxes like they're worth $100, but that's the only price to fly a friend somewhere round-trip.

What holidays are paid by Southwest? ›

Which holidays does the Company recognize? New Year's Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (two days: Thursday and Friday), Christmas (two days), and one floating holiday (Full-time Employees only) for the Employee to use at their convenience.

How do Southwest Airlines treat their employees? ›

Our people work incredibly hard and deserve to share in Southwest's success.” Remarkably, it's the 43rd year in a row that Southwest has shared profits with its people, who also reportedly own about 10% of the company's shares as well. The airline has also never laid anyone off or cut pay.

Why is Southwest hiring so much? ›

Southwest has hired 15,700 employees so far in 2022 as the demand for travel has increased and the company has seen two straight quarters of profitability. Accounting for attrition, the company has added about 10,000 workers this year and plans to get up to 11,000 by the end of 2022.

How long do you have to work at Southwest to get free flights for life? ›

Fly free after hiring. After 10 years you may retire with lifetime flight benefits!

Does Southwest pay good? ›

As of Jul 12, 2024, the average annual pay for a Southwest Airlines in California is $83,150 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $39.98 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,599/week or $6,929/month.

What is the highest paying job at Southwest? ›

The highest-paying job at Southwest Airlines is a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with a salary of $440,433 per year (estimate). What is the lowest salary at Southwest Airlines? The lowest-paying job at Southwest Airlines is a Steward with a salary of $36,597 per year (estimate).

What do Southwest flight attendants earn? ›

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Southwest Flight Attendant Jobs
CityAnnual SalaryHourly Wage
San Buenaventura, CA$55,082$26.48
Santa Monica, CA$55,065$26.47
Daly City, CA$54,542$26.22
Bailey's Crossroads, VA$54,381$26.14
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Is it better to work for Southwest or American Airlines? ›

What Employees Say. American Airlines had 510 more reviews than Southwest Airlines that mentioned "Flight benefits" as a Pro. American Airlines had 66 more reviews than Southwest Airlines that mentioned "Long hours" as a Con. Very reliable and good money.

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