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Southwest Airlines salaries
Southwest Airlines salary estimate
$41,081yearly
How much does Southwest Airlines pay?
The average Southwest Airlines salary in the United States is $41,081 per year. Southwest Airlines salaries range between $19,000 a year in the bottom 10th percentile to $87,000 in the top 90th percentile. Southwest Airlines pays $19.75 an hour on average. Geographic location also impacts Southwest Airlines salaries. Southwest Airlines employees in San Jose, CA get paid the most.Highest paying jobs at Southwest Airlines
The highest paying jobs at Southwest Airlines are senior software engineer, lead technician, senior java developer, and devops engineer. Senior software engineer jobs at Southwest Airlines earn an average yearly salary of $120,951, Southwest Airlines lead technician jobs average $119,472, and Southwest Airlines senior java developer jobs average $119,387.
The lowest paying Southwest Airlines roles include manager, custom support and services and cashier. Southwest Airlines manager, custom support and services average salary is $27,625 per year. So while the average Southwest Airlines salary is $41,081 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.
Highest paying jobs at Southwest Airlines
| Rank | Job title | Average Southwest Airlines salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senior Software Engineer | $120,951 | $58.15 |
| 2 | Lead Technician | $119,472 | $57.44 |
| 3 | Senior Java Developer | $119,387 | $57.40 |
| 4 | Devops Engineer | $111,697 | $53.70 |
| 5 | Quality Assurance Lead | $110,165 | $52.96 |
| 6 | Java/J2ee Developer | $105,743 | $50.84 |
| 7 | Quality Assurance Analyst | $90,112 | $43.32 |
| 8 | Business Analyst | $89,786 | $43.17 |
| 9 | Business Consultant | $89,685 | $43.12 |
| 10 | Team Leader | $87,497 | $42.07 |
| 11 | Finance Associate | $81,610 | $39.24 |
| 12 | Operations Manager | $74,277 | $35.71 |
| 13 | Recruiter | $58,286 | $28.02 |
| 14 | Office Manager | $47,923 | $23.04 |
| 15 | Crew Scheduler | $47,095 | $22.64 |
| 16 | Payroll Specialist | $44,350 | $21.32 |
| 17 | Ground Operations Supervisor | $42,520 | $20.44 |
| 18 | Human Resources Coordinator | $41,860 | $20.13 |
| 19 | Administrative Coordinator | $39,200 | $18.85 |
| 20 | Operation Supervisor | $38,715 | $18.61 |
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Average Southwest Airlines salary by state
Southwest Airlines pays the highest salaries in California due to higher costs of living and competition in the state.
| Rank | State | Average Southwest Airlines salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $47,455 | $22.81 |
| 2 | Colorado | $41,417 | $19.91 |
| 3 | Arizona | $41,259 | $19.84 |
| 4 | Texas | $39,732 | $19.10 |
How much does Southwest Airlines pay by location?
Highest paying Southwest Airlines locations
| Rank | Location | Average Southwest Airlines salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose, CA | $48,257 | $23.20 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $48,057 | $23.10 |
| 3 | Fine, NY | $45,330 | $21.79 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $44,756 | $21.52 |
| 5 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $44,201 | $21.25 |
| 6 | Minneapolis, MN | $43,666 | $20.99 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $42,558 | $20.46 |
| 8 | Baltimore, MD | $42,253 | $20.31 |
| 9 | Reno, NV | $41,410 | $19.91 |
| 10 | Phoenix, AZ | $41,402 | $19.90 |
| 11 | Denver, CO | $41,360 | $19.88 |
| 12 | Manchester, NH | $41,193 | $19.80 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh, PA | $39,813 | $19.14 |
| 14 | Dallas, TX | $39,722 | $19.10 |
| 15 | Salt Lake City, UT | $39,500 | $18.99 |
| 16 | Belgrade, MT | $39,412 | $18.95 |
| 17 | Indianapolis, IN | $38,722 | $18.62 |
| 18 | Albuquerque, NM | $38,688 | $18.60 |
| 19 | Morrisville, NC | $38,592 | $18.55 |
| 20 | Saint Louis, MO | $38,382 | $18.45 |
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Southwest Airlines salaries by department
Salaries at Southwest Airlines vary depending on the department you work in. Southwest Airlines salaries in the engineering department are the highest with an average salary of $104,949. Employees in the finance department at Southwest Airlines receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $77,729 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Southwest Airlines include the customer service and the warehouse organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $31,175 and $35,038, respectively.
Average Southwest Airlines salary by department
| Rank | Department | Average Southwest Airlines salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engineering | $104,949 | $50.46 |
| 2 | Finance | $77,729 | $37.37 |
| 3 | Plant/Manufacturing | $71,515 | $34.38 |
| 4 | Marketing | $70,633 | $33.96 |
| 5 | IT | $68,923 | $33.14 |
| 6 | Human Resources | $53,856 | $25.89 |
| 7 | Facilities | $39,269 | $18.88 |
| 8 | Sales | $39,126 | $18.81 |
| 9 | Retail | $38,569 | $18.54 |
| 10 | Administrative | $37,059 | $17.82 |
| 11 | Hospitality/Service | $35,064 | $16.86 |
| 12 | Warehouse | $35,038 | $16.85 |
| 13 | Customer Service | $31,175 | $14.99 |
How much does Southwest Airlines pay by department?
Best paying Southwest Airlines customer service salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Southwest Airlines salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ground Operations Supervisor | $42,520 | $20.44 |
| 2 | Operations Agent | $37,811 | $18.18 |
| 3 | Customer Service Representative | $30,487 | $14.66 |
| 4 | Support Representative | $30,137 | $14.49 |
| 5 | Customer Service Agent | $28,555 | $13.73 |
| 6 | Manager, Custom Support And Services | $27,626 | $13.28 |
Best paying Southwest Airlines engineering salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Southwest Airlines salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senior Software Engineer | $120,951 | $58.15 |
| 2 | Senior Java Developer | $119,387 | $57.40 |
| 3 | Quality Assurance Lead Manager | $118,099 | $56.78 |
| 4 | Technical Team Lead | $115,105 | $55.34 |
| 5 | Devops Engineer | $111,697 | $53.70 |
| 6 | Technical Project Manager | $111,304 | $53.51 |
| 7 | Data Scientist | $108,279 | $52.06 |
| 8 | Project Leader | $106,198 | $51.06 |
| 9 | Java/J2ee Developer | $105,743 | $50.84 |
| 10 | Database Administrator | $104,212 | $50.10 |
| 11 | SAP Consultant | $102,357 | $49.21 |
| 12 | ETL Consultant | $99,167 | $47.68 |
| 13 | Weblogic Administrator | $92,405 | $44.43 |
| 14 | Performance Tester | $91,419 | $43.95 |
| 15 | Data Analyst | $80,637 | $38.77 |
| 16 | Engineering Internship | $40,937 | $19.68 |
| 17 | Operations Agent | $37,811 | $18.18 |
Best paying Southwest Airlines hospitality/service salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Southwest Airlines salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flight Attendant | $35,665 | $17.15 |
| 2 | Reservations Agent | $32,667 | $15.71 |
Southwest Airlines competitors’ average salaries
Average salaries at Southwest Airlines competitors, like PSA Airlines, Expeditors, and American Airlines, vary. PSA Airlines employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $46,385. The average salary at Expeditors is $45,974 per year, and the average salary at American Airlines is $45,470 per year.
Highest paying Southwest Airlines competitors
| Rank | Company name | Zippia score | Average salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PSA Airlines | 4.9 | $46,385 |
| 2 | Expeditors | 4.4 | $45,974 |
| 3 | American Airlines | 4.5 | $45,470 |
| 4 | SkyWest Airlines | 4.6 | $40,437 |
| 5 | Allegiant Air | 4.6 | $40,146 |
| 6 | JetBlue Airways | 4.7 | $40,061 |
| 7 | Mesa Airlines | 4.8 | $39,822 |
| 8 | United | 4.6 | $39,532 |
| 9 | ExpressJet Airlines | 4.4 | $38,680 |
| 10 | Continental Airlines | 4.5 | $37,204 |
| 11 | Delta Air Lines | 4.7 | $36,132 |
| 12 | Spirit Airlines | 4.2 | $35,182 |
| 13 | Air Wisconsin Airlines | 4.7 | $34,864 |
| 14 | Envoy Aviation Group Inc. | 3.8 | $34,619 |
| 15 | Alaska Airlines | 4.5 | $34,113 |
| 16 | AirTran Holdings | 4.5 | $33,690 |
| 17 | Frontier Airlines | 4.4 | $33,019 |
| 18 | Airtran Airways | 4.1 | $31,775 |
Recently added Southwest Airlines salaries
| Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Assistant | Dallas, TX | 06/27/2025 | $71,450 |
| Cargo Area Account Manager-DEN | Denver, CO | 06/27/2025 | $82,800 |
| Customer Service Agent-HNL | Urban Honolulu, HI | 06/27/2025 | $40,968 |
| Material Specialist-MDW | Chicago, IL | 06/27/2025 | $40,843 |
| Lead Shipping Associate | Dallas, TX | 06/27/2025 | $48,500 |
What employees say about salary at Southwest Airlines
Anyone can be placed in a management position, but it doesn't make them a leader
flight benefits
great co workers in the same work level
There is no leadership!
Putting people into roles that fit for them. Poor leadership brings lack to no communication
being myself
The Pay is good
Diversity was good as can be
Feeling accomplished with my duties
The best place in the world to work
There are no cons
Flying free, all the kindness and help you receive from managers all the way down to employees.
Customer Service is my favorite part. I love getting to know the passengers and providing them with excellent service. I like that people are appreciative of me.
Weather delays and mechanical delays. Being a problem solver I’d like to find solutions to make customers happy. If the issue is a mechanical or weather delay it is out of my hands and I feel frustrated I can’t do anything to help them while on the aircraft.
Free flying. I’ve been able to take my family to places I would have never been able to before. It’s a perk that has made my life full of experiences and memories.
Company incentives and culture diversity
Union environment can be challenging
Profit sharing
I most love the people I work with. I also love the benefits.
My schedule constantly changes, making it hard to have a life outside of work.
My favorite perk is definitely the free flights!
The people are awesome. Great company culture.
Nothing.
Flight benefits. The 401k match was very good. I have not encountered another company that has the same level of match. Also, Southwest Airlines has a generous profit sharing program.
Stable career, life long friends
The hours are irregular, to say the least.
401k/profitsharing and great health care.
Ramp Supervisor
Management remain blind against harassment.
Medical benefits, flight benefits and adjustable work hours
culture,freindly,relaxed atmosphere
lifestyle being away from home
flexibility
Great benefits, flexibility, inclusive, amazing culture. Best company I've ever worked for.
Depends on your position but working on the ramp can be tough on the body at times
Free flights and the 9.3% 401k matching
Frequently asked questions about Southwest Airlines salaries
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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Southwest Airlines, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Southwest Airlines. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Southwest Airlines. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Southwest Airlines. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Southwest Airlines and its employees or that of Zippia.
Southwest Airlines may also be known as or be related to Southwest, Southwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines Co and Southwest Airlines Co.