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Southwest Airlines

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Southwest Airlines

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Southwest Airlines Reviews

Updated 29 Mar 2023

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Found 3,746 of over 4K reviews
4.1
77% Recommend to a Friend
Southwest Airlines CEO Robert E. Jordan
75% Approve of CEO

Found 3,738 of over 4K reviews

4.1
77%
Recommend to a Friend
75%
Approve of CEO
Southwest Airlines CEO Robert E. Jordan
Robert E. Jordan
379 Ratings
Pros
  • "Free flights great benefits work with planes(in 329 reviews)

  • "The flight benefits are amazing(in 246 reviews)

  • Cons
  • "Work life balance can be challenging at times(in 53 reviews)

  • "Mandatory overtime for ground employees(in 122 reviews)

  • More Pros and Cons
    Pros & Cons are excerpts from user reviews. They are not authored by Glassdoor.
    1. 5.0
      Current Employee, less than 1 year
      Featured Review

      The Best Company I've Ever Worked For!

      29 Jul 2022 - Learning Developer in Dallas, TX
      Recommend
      CEO Approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Southwest Airlines practices the element of inclusion more than any other company I've worked with. Everyone has a voice, and the element of respect is unconditionally present at all times. NO WORDS will ever describe how indebted I feel to be apart of this company. It's a priceless feeling!

      Cons

      Honestly, there are no cons currently.

      3 people found this review helpful

      Southwest Airlines Response

      We’re so glad to have you as part of the Southwest Family! Inclusion has always been at the Heart of who we are at Southwest, and we're committed to evolving our hiring, training, and development processes to drive progress and change. By engaging, understanding, and drawing on a variety of perspectives we can continue to celebrate our People and further enrich our Culture. We’re proud you're part of that enrichment!

    2. 2.0
      Current Employee, more than 10 years

      Not the job it use to be… BEWARE

      3 Mar 2023 - Southwest Flight Attendant in Dallas-Fort Worth
      Recommend
      CEO Approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      SWA is the largest domestic carrier in the US and is most likely not going away any time soon.

      Cons

      Flight attendants only get paid for the actual flight time. When the airplane doors are closed. So the hourly rate, being offered only applies to that time. You get paid zero for All other required duties of the day…. Report times in advance of flights, boarding the plane, cleaning the plane after the flight, ground time between flights, weather delays, plane changes, etc.

      Continue reading
      1 person found this review helpful
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    4. 4.0
      Current Employee, less than 1 year

      Good benefits, pay is lacking, very difficult for new hires.

      11 Mar 2023 - Flight Attendant in Bwi Airport, MD
      Recommend
      CEO Approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      -Great healthcare and sick benefits -Commuter clause is the best in the industry -quarterly PIN allows sick day without occurrences. -Good company culture -Improvements here happen daily, slow progress is still progress.

      Cons

      -Pay for new hires is not nearly enough to live on. I say this as someone who worked for a regional before this, (YX) so I've worked on salary that was less than this one. ($25/hr) -You will more than likely be relocated to a base that was not your first choice for the first 1-3 months of employment. I had to commute from BWI to OAK and it was Hell. On. Earth. No reimbursement for hotels of course, because that's the industry standard. -Reserve system is outdated and you are on call each day, for 24 hours. -Technology here is in the dumps. The bidding software needs updating. The crew scheduling software needs updating. The whole dang planes need updating. -Get used to disappointing passengers. -Wi-fi? More like Try-fi. 60% chance it doesn't work.

      Continue reading
      2 people found this review helpful
    5. 2.0
      Former Employee

      It depends on the area you work in, but don’t work for the HR departmen

      24 Feb 2023 - Sr. Talent Management Consultant 
      Recommend
      CEO Approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Good benefits Good CEO Good pay and bonus structure

      Cons

      People department culture Cut in coheart flight benefits and perks Lack of employee care and recognition No collaboration Limited autonomy and independent judgement

      Continue reading
      1 person found this review helpful
    6. 5.0
      Current Employee

      Amazing company to work for

      29 Mar 2023 - Flight Attendant 
      Recommend
      CEO Approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Lots of flexibility, within the company you are able to apply to different positions if you choose.

      Cons

      Depending on the position you are working, they all come with drawbacks just like any company, and any position. Working shift type work, nights or early am type work, takes a different kind of toll on folks. You either have it in you or you don’t. It is definitely a lifestyle choice. Missing holiday, kids plans, family functions etc. it is all about seniority. After several years, you earn more seniority and more flexibility. True at any airline. Better to know it going in, than get angry after.

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    7. 5.0
      Former Employee, less than 1 year

      Just another big headache, avoid it at all cost

      19 Mar 2023 - Affiliated Company Consultant in Dallas, TX
      Recommend
      CEO Approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      They seem to be pretty open to advice and counseling on their weaknesses. Our firm gets paid nicely to tell them what their frontline employee have already told them. Management seems like they are smart people on the outside but on the inside thats another story.

      Cons

      They fail to recognize workflow efficiency metrics and establish a set program. Management seems to think the people they work for are robots. They fail to attract and retain talent due to company bureaucracy. Company branding and corporate has diminished in quality over the years. They seem to have an ego problem or a cult problem and seem to think they are the best. I cant help these people. Ego can destroy companies.

      Continue reading
      1 person found this review helpful
    8. 1.0
      Current Employee

      Where there’s smoke there’s fire…Southwest has really big problems

      13 Feb 2023 - Captain 
      Recommend
      CEO Approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      If you like to fly 737s it‘s 4-5 legs a day it’s fun but you will fly a lot for less than industry pay than even flying 737s at other airlines. I’ve been here almost 2 decades and Southwest has definitely changed, it's become worse than I would’ve ever imagined.

      Cons

      You will work an extremely busy schedule away from home to get what your peers at other airlines get for working much less with more benefits and a better quality of life. A contract is impossible to get done and forget accurate pay audits. We have to fight for everything and our leadership talks a big game about LUV but treats us as undervalued and under appreciated cost units. The big push now is local chief pilots are harassing pilots you for using negotiated sick time. Pilots get called into the office to explain themselves. I guess they have to make up for the $1 Billion lost for bad leadership decisions. If you have a chance to work at any other airline you’ll have a better career there especially if you’re a younger pilot.

      Continue reading
      1 person found this review helpful
    9. 5.0
      Current Employee, less than 1 year

      Great Place to work

      29 Mar 2023 - Customer Service Agent in Cleveland, OH
      Recommend
      CEO Approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Pay, opportunities for advancement and culture

      Cons

      shifts and overtime can be unpredictable

      Continue reading
      Be the first to find this review helpful
    10. 3.0
      Current Employee, less than 1 year

      Good luck getting to fly

      11 Mar 2023 - Ramp Agent in Oakland, CA
      Recommend
      CEO Approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Free standby air travel, good benefits, overtime available, you can give away shifts or shift trade. Down time between flight assignments can be 1-2hours of rest. Can be fun and easy at times.

      Cons

      So much mandatory overtime you will not travel, Can be “mando’d” up to 3.75 hours every single day, hard on the body, must lift and throw 300-1000 suitcases that are 50-75 lbs while squatting/kneeling on metal for up to 11.75 hours with one guaranteed day off per week. Can be called in on your day off. Must inhale jet fuel all day. Generally dangerous and extremely demanding on the body, high injury rates.

      Continue reading
      Be the first to find this review helpful
    11. 2.0
      Former Employee

      Average airline with no class to board

      23 Feb 2023 - Technical Writer 
      Recommend
      CEO Approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      When we started the job was pretty productive and laid back. 401K is industry leading.

      Cons

      Now the work environment is pretty toxic. Some of those clowns in the IT department decided on making decisions that cost the company billions. Now we have to fix their mistakes. Not only is it counterproductive but all those years we spent fixing an existing system was for nothing. I've witness since I been here countless mistakes and the managers keep getting promotions. At other places they would be fired for their incompetence. I guess the shareholders should really consider investing in another airline. I've since moved on to working with another airline in the "Big Four" its just not with Southwest. This was the best thing I could have ever done for myself, my family and my health.

      Continue reading
      2 people found this review helpful
    Viewing 1 - 10 of 3,738 Reviews
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    Southwest Airlines Reviews FAQs

    Southwest Airlines has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 4,232 reviews left anonymously by employees. 77% of employees would recommend working at Southwest Airlines to a friend and 71% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has decreased by -3% over the last 12 months.

    According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Southwest Airlines employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.2 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Southwest Airlines. This rating has decreased by -3% over the last 12 months.

    77% of Southwest Airlines employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated Southwest Airlines 3.6 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.1 for culture and values and 4.1 for career opportunities.

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