Southwest Airlines
WN · SWASouthwest Airlines carries about 169.9M passengers a year on 803 aircraft, the 4th-largest US airline by passengers flown. Its busiest airport is Denver.
Passengers flown a year
169.9M
#4 US airline by passengers
803
aircraft
161
nonstop destinations
15
countries served
11.0 yr
average fleet age
76.6%
arrivals on time
77.4%
load factor
Market position
Southwest Airlines flew 17.5% of all US passengers over the past year — the 4th-largest share of any carrier.
Share of all US passengers flown · each carrier a slice of the market
Where Southwest Airlines flies
What Southwest Airlines actually flew — departures, seats, and passengers filed with the US DOT, the live complement to the fleet it owns.
Departures
1,415,728
12 months to May 2026
Seats flown
228,050,052
Passengers
169.9M
Load factor
77.4%
RPM ÷ ASM
Busiest Southwest Airlines routes
21 flights a day · 966,562 passengers
75.7%
full
21 flights a day · 936,413 passengers
79.4%
full
20 flights a day · 894,430 passengers
76.6%
full
19 flights a day · 873,065 passengers
78.6%
full
20 flights a day · 864,134 passengers
75.3%
full
19 flights a day · 856,385 passengers
74.5%
full
17 flights a day · 835,231 passengers
81.5%
full
22 flights a day · 814,873 passengers
64.8%
full
Bars are seats added or cut; the figure is the percentage. Comparing June 2025–May 2026 against June 2024–May 2025. Routes the airline started or dropped mid-year are left out — a percentage between a partial year and a full one measures whether the route existed, not how its capacity changed.
Where Southwest Airlines dominates
Southwest Airlines carries a commanding share of the passengers at its fortress hubs — a clearer read on its power than raw fleet size. Share is of every carrier's passengers at that airport, including its regional feeders; on time is that hub's own arrival rate.
- DAL
Dallas
16.1M16,086,864 passengers · 77.3% on time
97%
of airport
77.3%
on time
- HOU
Houston
12.7M12,701,421 passengers · 77.5% on time
95%
of airport
77.5%
on time
- MDW
Chicago
17.4M17,399,849 passengers · 77.6% on time
91%
of airport
77.6%
on time
- BWI
Baltimore
17.6M17,591,751 passengers · 80.9% on time
72%
of airport
80.9%
on time
- BNA
Nashville
14.7M14,720,649 passengers · 78.0% on time
57%
of airport
78.0%
on time
- LAS
Las Vegas
21.5M21,535,800 passengers · 78.7% on time
41%
of airport
78.7%
on time
- PHX
Phoenix
16.9M16,937,880 passengers · 77.7% on time
33%
of airport
77.7%
on time
- DEN
Denver
23.3M23,323,218 passengers · 74.3% on time
29%
of airport
74.3%
on time
The fleet
Southwest Airlines reports 803 airframes across 4 types, averaging 11.0 yr. Click through for every tail number, its delivery date and age.
- In the filing
- 803803 in service · 0 stored
- Average age
- 11.0 yrAcross 803 dated airframes
- Types operated
- 4Largest: Boeing 737-700
100% narrowbody · by aircraft
| Type | Count | Avg age |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-700 | 303 | 18.1 yr |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 300 | 3.8 yr |
| Boeing 737-800 | 198 | 11.0 yr |
| Boeing 737 | 2 | 14.7 yr |
On-time performance
Of every 100 Southwest Airlines flights, 77 touch down within 15 minutes of schedule, 22 arrive late, and 1 is cancelled. That is a 76.6% on-time rate across 1.4M arrivals over the trailing 12 months.
Every 100 flights
14 min
average delay
12,424
flights cancelled
1.4M
arrivals measured
What holds flights up
Share of delay minutes
On time, month by month
J
A
S
O
N
D
J
F
M
A
M
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Darker is better · 66%–84.8%
The weak spot is June 2026, when 66% of arrivals landed on time — 10.6 points below the year. The strongest was January 2026 at 84.8%.
On time vs. peers
Bars scaled to the best performer, not to zero
Southwest Airlines lands 76.6% of its arrivals on time — 2 of 3 peers do better.
Frequently asked
How big is Southwest Airlines's fleet?
Southwest Airlines reports a fleet of about 803 aircraft across 4 types, with an average age of 11.0 yr.
How many passengers does Southwest Airlines carry a year?
Southwest Airlines carries about 169.9M passengers a year, the 4th-largest US airline by passengers flown.
What is Southwest Airlines's biggest hub?
Southwest Airlines's busiest airport is Denver, where it flies about 29% of all passengers.
How many destinations does Southwest Airlines fly to?
Southwest Airlines serves about 161 nonstop destinations in 15 countries.
How reliable is Southwest Airlines?
About 76.6% of Southwest Airlines flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule over the trailing 12 months, per US DOT figures.
Trip reports on YouTube
Fliers post trip reports from Southwest Airlines flights to YouTube. These three were matched automatically from public YouTube listings — The Frequent Flier does not host, review, or endorse them.
Jviation
Southwest Airlines ASSIGNED SEATING – Extra Legroom & First Impressions | Trip Report
14:59 · Feb 2026
Simply Aviation
TRIPREPORT | Southwest Airlines (ECONOMY) | Oakland - Las Vegas | Boeing 737-800
13:18 · Jan 2018
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