The Workforce AI Index · Industrials
Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV)
Airline, one pattern, full-time equivalents. Read October 1, 2026 from the annual report for the period ending 2025-12-31, filed 2026-02-05. Ranked 14 of the 28 Industrials companies read so far, by the share within reach now: the sector.
The filing counts 72,790 active full-time equivalent employees by operating group in one airline, so one air transportation pattern carries the workforce (a).
The figures on this page come from the company's own annual report and from BLS staffing patterns for its industries, never from a roster. They are estimates with a stated method. Nothing here says what the company will do: within reach is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
What follows from the reading
Share of working time within reach of AI, on the long-run pace at four in five: 17% now, 20% at the end of 2027, 21% at the end of 2028, 21% at the end of 2030. By the patterns, the work is about 21% desk work, 27% people work and 52% body work. These are the site's industry estimates weighted by the shares below: estimates with a stated method and range, not a forecast of what the company will do. By the same patterns, at the end of 2028 about 79% of the working time stays with people (conversation, in-person and hands-on work), 15% becomes checking a model's work and 6% could be handed over with lighter checks, from the industries' own figures, not the company's roles.
Headcount
72,790 employees as of 2025-12-31 (full-time equivalent). The filing describes a U.S. airline and gives no count by country; North America is 97% of revenue.
The filing: “As of December 31, 2025, the Company had 72,790 active full-time equivalent Employees, consisting of 32,214 air operations and 21,734 ground operations, with the remainder in other functions.”
The workforce as industry patterns
| Pattern | Share | Reason, from the filing |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Air Transportation | 100% | By stated counts (a): 32,214 air operations and 21,734 ground operations employees with the remainder in the airline's other functions, all one scheduled airline. |
What the filing says about the workforce: 72,790 active full-time equivalent employees, excluding 4,607 on leave: 32,214 air operations including pilots and flight attendants, 21,734 ground operations, the rest in other functions; employee groups under collective bargaining, including 10,321 pilots; a reduction in workforce in February 2025 of about 1,750 corporate roles, as the filing states it.
Companies read with the same leading pattern
Other companies whose largest staffing pattern is also Scheduled Air Transportation, largest first, each read from its own annual report. Within reach now and at the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- American Airlines (AAL, 139,100 employees)17% now, 21% by 2028
- United Airlines (UAL, 113,200 employees)17% now, 21% by 2028
- Delta Air Lines (DAL, 103,000 employees)17% now, 21% by 2028
What the filing says about AI
20 sentences in the filing name AI. The filing names AI in 20 sentences: AI-based marketing, generative AI engine optimization across its app and pages, and generative AI copy testing to refine marketing messages.
- “The Company continues to invest in technology to support artificial intelligence ("AI")-based marketing efforts.”
- “In 2025, the Company undertook broad search engine and generative AI engine optimization efforts across its mobile app, landing pages, and destination, origination, and market specific pages.”
- “Generative AI copy testing has been introduced to refine marketing messages and optimize conversion rates, contributing to increased sales per marketing effort.”
- “During 2025, among other things, the Company (i) developed new technology to enable assigned seating, extra legroom seating, and enhanced boarding processes; (ii) introduced free Wi-Fi sponsored by T-Mobile for all Rapid Rewards Members; (iii) further expanded its distribution channels via partnerships with Expedia and 13 Table of Contents Priceline; (iv) launched a digital pre-paid bags applic...”
- “The Company continues to invest significantly in technology resources including, among others, the Company's systems related to (i) inflight Wi-Fi capabilities; (ii) digital Customer Service modernization; (iii) enhancing the Customer Experience and premium product offerings; (iv) industry standard interline and codeshare capabilities; (v) further scaling 24-hour operations; (vi) flight schedul...”
Headcount by filing year
As reported in each year's annual report, with the filing. A year marked not read had no figure the reading could take from the report's text.
| Period | Employees | Filed | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-31 | 72,790 | 2026-02-05 | 10-K |
| 2024-12-31 | 72,450 | 2025-02-07 | 10-K |
| 2023-12-31 | 74,806 | 2024-02-06 | 10-K |
| 2022-12-31 | 66,656 | 2023-02-07 | 10-K |
| 2021-12-31 | 55,100 | 2022-02-07 | 10-K |
| 2020-12-31 | 56,500 | 2021-02-08 | 10-K |
| 2019-12-31 | 60,800 | 2020-02-04 | 10-K |
| 2018-12-31 | 58,800 | 2019-02-05 | 10-K |
| 2017-12-31 | 56,100 | 2018-02-07 | 10-K |
| 2016-12-31 | 53,500 | 2017-02-07 | 10-K |
| 2015-12-31 | 49,600 | 2016-02-03 | 10-K |
| 2014-12-31 | 46,278 | 2015-02-06 | 10-K |
| 2013-12-31 | 44,831 | 2014-02-04 | 10-K |
| 2012-12-31 | 45,861 | 2013-02-07 | 10-K |
| 2011-12-31 | 45,392 | 2012-02-09 | 10-K |
| 2010-12-31 | 34,901 | 2011-02-08 | 10-K |
| 2009-12-31 | 34,726 | 2010-01-29 | 10-K |
| 2008-12-31 | 35,499 | 2009-02-02 | 10-K |
| 2007-12-31 | 34,378 | 2008-02-04 | 10-K |
| 2006-12-31 | 32,664 | 2007-02-01 | 10-K |
| 2005-12-31 | 31,729 | 2006-02-01 | 10-K |
| 2004-12-31 | 31,011 | 2005-02-04 | 10-K |
| 2003-12-31 | 32,847 | 2004-01-29 | 10-K |
| 2002-12-31 | 33,705 | 2003-02-05 | 10-K |
| 2001-12-31 | 31,580 | 2002-02-04 | 10-K |
| 2000-12-31 | 29,274 | 2001-01-26 | 10-K |
| 1999-12-31 | 27,653 | 2000-03-28 | 10-K |
| 1998-12-31 | 25,844 | 1999-03-26 | 10-K |
| 1997-12-31 | 23,974 | 1998-03-19 | 10-K |
| 1996-12-31 | 22,944 | 1997-03-21 | 10-K405 |
| 1995-12-31 | 19,933 | 1996-03-28 | 10-K |
| 1994-12-31 | 16,818 | 1995-03-30 | 10-K405 |
Limits of this reading
- The headcount is an active full-time equivalent count that leaves out 4,607 employees on leave, as the filing presents it.
Source: the company's annual report on EDGAR, accession 0000092380-26-000004, the filing. Read by Claude Fable 5.1 under rubric version 1, by the method. A company can write to info@stratussc.com to have its reading checked against its filing.
Questions about this company
- How much of Southwest Airlines Co.'s working time is within reach of AI?
- An estimated 17% now and 21% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five, from the workforce Southwest Airlines Co.'s own annual report describes and BLS staffing patterns for its industries, never from a roster. It is an estimate with a stated method. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings, and it says nothing about what the company will do.
- How many people does Southwest Airlines Co. employ?
- 72,790 as of December 31, 2025, as its annual report for the period ending December 31, 2025 states, in full-time equivalents.
- What kinds of work make up Southwest Airlines Co.'s workforce?
- Read from its annual report as a blend of 1 industry staffing pattern, the largest Scheduled Air Transportation; by those patterns the work is about 21% desk work, 27% people work and 52% body work. Each share has a one-sentence reason on this page that can be checked against the filing.
- What does Southwest Airlines Co.'s annual report say about AI?
- 20 sentences in the filing name AI. They are counted and quoted on this page, never judged: a count says how much a filing talks about AI, not what the company does with it.
- How is this estimated?
- Claude Fable 5.1 read the annual report under the Index's written rubric (version 1) on October 1, 2026: the stated headcount, the share in the U.S. when stated, and the workforce as a blend of industry staffing patterns. The estimates are the site's industry estimates weighted by those shares, from O*NET tasks with estimated lengths and METR's measurements of how long a task AI models can finish. A company can write to info@stratussc.com to have its reading checked against its filing.
Embed these figures on your site
A small card with the share of working time within reach now and at the end of 2027, 2028 and 2030, the date and a link back. Free under CC BY 4.0; the card carries the credit.