2019
One Report

“We are not simply a Company of planes—we are a Company of People. And it is the Heart of the People of Southwest Airlines that makes us who we are—yesterday, today, and tomorrow.”

—Gary C. Kelly, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Airplane wing

30,000-Foot View

To understand citizenship at Southwest is to understand our Heart for People. Whether it’s going the extra mile for one of our Customers, giving back to the communities where we live and work, or working to protect the well-being of our Planet for generations to come, we filter everything through the lens of People. Southwest has always been a different kind of Company, and we take a slightly different approach when it comes to reporting on citizenship. We’re proudly People-centric, so we go beyond a traditional “corporate report” narrative in favor of an approach that allows us to focus on the People that make Southwest such an amazing Company. Because when we talk about citizenship at Southwest, we are actually talking about People—both our Employees and Customers—and the things that are important in their lives. Welcome to this year’s One Report.

People

Putting People First

At Southwest, we do things a little differently. Our People-centered approach to business empowers each of our unique Employees to serve Customers with individual, personal attention. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we also take a People-first approach to citizenship. From investing in our Employees to giving back to our local communities, learn more about how we are serving those around us—one person at a time.

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Performance

47 Consecutive Years of Profitability
—A Record Unmatched

Southwest’s Vision is to become the world’s most loved, most efficient, and most profitable airline. We have achieved 47 consecutive years of profitability—a record unmatched in aviation history—and delivered significant value to our Shareholders over our history.

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Planet

Attending to the Planet

We believe that what works well for Southwest can also work for our Planet. Even small improvements in our operational efficiency or waste reduction can add up to a large impact when applied across our operations.22)The 2019 Southwest Airlines One Report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Specific forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements related to (i) the Company’s Vision; (ii) the Company’s financial position, outlook, plans, strategies, goals, targets, and projected results of operations, including factors and assumptions underlying the Company’s projections; (iii) the Company’s operational initiatives and related plans and expectations, including with respect to technology and fleet initiatives; (iv) the Company’s other initiatives, including hiring, diversity, Rapid Rewards, safety, fuel, and environmental and sustainability initiatives and related plans and expectations; (v) the Company’s network plans, expectations, and opportunities; (vi) the Company’s expectations with respect to fuel efficiency, including factors and assumptions underlying the Company’s expectations; (vii) the Company's plans, expectations, and priorities in connection with the return of the MAX to service; and (viii) the Company’s fleet plans and expectations. These statements involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that are difficult to predict and that could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed in or indicated by them. Factors include, among others, (i) the impact of fears or actual outbreaks of disease or pandemics, changes in consumer behavior, economic conditions, governmental actions, extreme or severe weather and natural disasters, fears of terrorism or war, actions of competitors, fuel prices, consumer perception, and other factors beyond the Company's control, on consumer behavior and the Company's results of operations and business decisions, plans, strategies, and results; (ii) the Company's dependence on Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration with respect to the timing of the return of the 737 MAX to service and any related changes to the Company's operational and financial assumptions and decisions; (iii) the Company’s dependence on other third parties, and the impact on the Company’s operations and results of operations of any third party delays or non-performance; (iv) the Company's ability to timely and effectively implement, transition, and maintain the necessary information technology systems and infrastructure to support its operations and initiatives; (v) the Company’s ability to timely and effectively prioritize its initiatives and related expenditures; (vi) the impact of labor matters on the Company’s business decisions, plans, and strategies; and (vii) other factors, as described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the detailed factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, and in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2020. By working to streamline our operations, we can minimize our environmental impact and help protect our Planet.

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Our Approach

At Southwest, we are committed to doing the right thing by our People, through our Performance, and in service to our Planet. Our Employees, Customers, Shareholders, suppliers, and community groups all contribute to the many opportunities we see for the future of our Company. We listen to and learn from them, seeking to address their interests in the One Report. Our commitment to being a good global citizen underpins the way we carry out our Purpose—connect People to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel.

Reporting Scope

The 2019 Southwest One Report is a snapshot of our corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts covering the period of Jan. 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 2019 (unless otherwise noted). The One Report covers only those business activities for which Southwest generally has complete control or ownership. This report does not include facilities primarily controlled by others, such as airport terminal space, or outsourced or subcontracted facilities.

Our Approach 

We use a holistic approach to identify which CSR and ESG indicators to report each year. We continually listen to our Stakeholders’ interests in order to understand what is important to them, and we balance Stakeholder interests with learnings gathered during an industry benchmarking analysis conducted in 2016 and early-2017. In 2019, we continued to report on key topics consistent with our 2018 report.

In 2020, we plan to conduct a thorough topic analysis, which will help us identify our most relevant CSR and ESG topics, based on insights from our Leadership and other key Stakeholders. This analysis will serve as a foundation for development and implementation of our corporate responsibility strategy, ongoing Stakeholder engagement, and refinement of our CSR and ESG disclosures and communications.

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