Benefits | Southwest

More than just a paycheck a Career at Southwest Airlines comes with several WorkPerks, from Southwest’s legendary Culture to travel privileges for Employees and their eligible dependents. Southwest offers an excellent benefits package, including a very generous dollar-for-dollar match in the 401(k) plan, subject to vesting requirements and certain compensation limits, as well as a ProfitSharing plan.

Health

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 competitively affordable.

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

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

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

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. A Company-paid concierge service is also available to those enrolling in this plan.

Noncontract Employees are covered by a Company-paid short-term disability plan if an illness or injury lasts more than one week.

Employees can enroll in long-term disability plans that can help protect them if they develop a disability and can’t work for an extended period of time. Pilots aren’t eligible, but may elect long-term disability coverage through Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA).

All Employees receive basic term life insurance at no cost, in a coverage amount equal to their annual salary, up to $50,000. Employees who enroll in a BenefitsPlus program 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 their children.

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.

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.

Financial rewards

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

Save for retirement through our 401(k) plan with pre-tax or Roth after-tax contributions. Southwest will match Employee contributions dollar-for-dollar up to 9.3 percent of their eligible earnings. Employees can choose from a broad spectrum of investment options and roll over any eligible funds from a previous employer.

Employees share in Southwest’s success with our ProfitSharing plan, which rewards them for their contributions to Southwest’s profitability. Historically, contributions are a percentage of their eligible salary and have ranged from one percent to nearly 16 percent over the past 10 years. Southwest was the first in the airline industry to offer a ProfitSharing 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.

Wellness

Wellness programs can help Southwest Employees live better on and off the job. Employees and their spouses can earn up to $500 by taking specific steps to be more engaged in their health and well-being.

Employees and family members have access to free counseling resources and work/life balance tools.

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 workgroup and years of service.

Community outreach

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

Employees are encouraged to volunteer for causes that matter most to them, and Southwest supports them through our Tickets for Time program by donating round trip 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.

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.

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.

Employee engagement and travel

Southwest Employees can visit almost any corner of the world with generous travel privileges and turn recognition into something meaningful with 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 a “Kick Tail®,” they can receive recognition from local Leadership all the way up to our CEO, and we even invite Customers to give a Kick Tail® 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.

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.

Training & development

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.

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 certain graduate degrees and up to $2,500 reimbursement annually for certain undergraduate degrees and certifications.

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

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.

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.

Communication connections

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

On our Intranet, SWALife, 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 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.

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