2020-
The Southwest Promise
In 2020, the airline industry was dealt a huge blow by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Amidst ongoing public health and economic effects, Southwest remained committed to Customer comfort. In spring of 2020, the Southwest Promise was introduced, outlining specific actions the Company was taking to support the well-being of Employees and Customers. Our Southwest Heart was front and center, just as it has been since we took flight over half a century ago. In times of uncertainty, and there have been many, the Heart of our People remains the one constant in the life of our Company.
20—
Changing of the Guard
After a decade and a half leading Southwest Airlines, navigating challenges, guiding the Company with remarkable wisdom and honor (and pulling off some next-level Halloween costumes), Chairman of the Board & CEO Gary Kelly surveyed his 35-year Southwest career and decided the time was right for Southwest to embark on its next chapter with a new Leader. This tremendous responsibility was entrusted to then Executive Vice President Corporate Services Bob Jordan. Gary would remain as Executive Chairman to support and advise for the next handful of years, but the future of the Company was thoughtfully placed in Bob’s hands. And he was ready for the task, sharing “I have been blessed to have a very diverse career and set of assignments during my 33 years at Southwest. Gary especially has given me so many opportunities to work in different areas of the Company, as well as the broad leadership role as President of AirTran during the integration, and Gary, Colleen, Herb, Tom, and many, many others mentored and sponsored me along the way.”
Championing Southwest for the Future
Southwest Airlines came into being with the odds stacked against it. Always the scrappy fighter, the Company learned early on how to “bob and weave” when facing challenges—and few in our history were more impactful than the operational effect of winter storm Elliott in 2022. That event set in motion unprecedented, radically transformative changes at Southwest over the next few years. From redesigning our operating strategy and exploring new revenue initiatives to reinvigorating our commitment to delivering Legendary Customer Service with an acute focus on efficiency and productivity, we embraced some hard realities and began writing a dynamically new chapter in the Southwest story. One that brought us forward with new technologies and processes better aligned with contemporary travel expectations, while remaining true to our original purpose of connecting people to what matters in their lives—and always with kindness.
Growing the Family
As the Southwest “evolution” gained speed and began to catch the eye of new travelers not yet familiar with our Brand, it was a natural next step to seek ways to expand access to our service. With our international destinations now comfortably familiar to our Customers and solidified in our route map, we turned our attention to growing our international presence not only by adding markets but specifically through international partnerships. Our first new partner was Icelandair® in January 2025 via the first gateway city of Baltimore/Washington (BWI), closely followed by Denver (DEN) and Nashville (BNA). The year would conclude with the additions of China Airlines, EVA Air, Philippine Airlines, and Condor Airlines, and 2026 brought even more new partnerships with Turkish Airlines, All Nippon Airways, and Singapore Airlines. With new partnership opportunities on the horizon, the future is bright for expanding the Southwest footprint and embracing even more new Customers around the world.
2020s by the numbers
For all the challenges and changes in the life of our Company, certainly in the current decade, we—our People—always have found our way back to a prevailing sense of purpose and community. It is that foundational conviction which enables us to continually look ahead with optimism and move forward with intention.
*Year-end 2024 statistics
Let's soar to another year!
