Southwest Airlines
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First-year FO pay
$125.90 per TFP
Southwest pays per Trip for Pay (TFP), not per credit hour, so this isn't directly comparable with hourly rates.
Source type: Job-board copy of Southwest's Military Aviator Program FO posting
Source: https://justjobs.com/career/18525980/Pilot-First-Officer-Military-Aviator-Program-Texas-Dallas · last checked 2026-10-18
Top captain pay
$343.14 per TFP · Year 12+ captain
Captain rate per Trip for Pay effective Jan 1, 2026. Scheduled raises: $356.87 (Jan 2027) and $368.47 (Jan 2028). Southwest pays per TFP, not per credit hour.
Source type: SWAPA–Southwest pilot contract, Section 2.E (p. 2-3)
Source: Southwest–SWAPA pilot contract, Section 2.E (copy reviewed Oct 18, 2026) · last checked 2026-10-18 · rates effective 2026-01-01
Union & contract
SWAPA · agreement amendable Jan 1, 2029
From Jan 1, 2030 until a new agreement, pilots get a yearly 2.5% payment on the prior 12 months' W-2 earnings (Section 2.D.3).
Source type: SWAPA–Southwest pilot contract (MEV#4, updated Jan 16, 2026)
Source: Southwest–SWAPA pilot contract, cover page (copy reviewed Oct 18, 2026) · last checked 2026-10-18
Hiring status
FO application currently closed (next posting coming)
Source: https://careers.southwestair.com/us/en/pilots/ · last checked 2026-10-18
Minimums to apply
ATP (AMEL, 'English Proficient'); 1st-class medical. Preferred: 500 fixed-wing turbine hrs or Destination 225° completion; actively flying 2 of the last 5 years
Source: https://careers.southwestair.com/us/en/pilots/ · last checked 2026-10-18
Retirement / 401(k)
17% non-elective + 1% market-based cash balance after year one, rising to 18% and 2% in 2026
As worded on Southwest's pilot careers page.
Source: https://careers.southwestair.com/us/en/pilots/ · last checked 2026-10-18
Profit sharing
Unverified. We couldn't confirm a reliable source for this yet.
Last searched 2026-10-18
Fleet
Boeing 737-700/800/MAX 8
Source: https://careers.southwestair.com/us/en/pilots/ · last checked 2026-10-18
Full pay scale
Pay per Trip for Pay (TFP) by year of service, Captain and First Officer. Southwest pays by TFP, a trip-based unit, so these rates aren't directly comparable with other airlines' hourly rates. Year 12 also covers pilots with more than 12 years.
Effective: January 1, 2026
| Yr 1 | $314.76 | $125.90 |
|---|---|---|
| Yr 2 | $317.24 | $174.48 |
| Yr 3 | $319.73 | $207.82 |
| Yr 4 | $322.31 | $212.72 |
| Yr 5 | $324.94 | $217.71 |
| Yr 6 | $327.54 | $222.73 |
| Yr 7 | $330.12 | $224.48 |
| Yr 8 | $332.70 | $229.56 |
| Yr 9 | $335.34 | $234.74 |
| Yr 10 | $337.84 | $236.49 |
| Yr 11 | $340.49 | $238.34 |
| Yr 12 | $343.14 | $240.20 |
Effective: January 1, 2027
| Yr 1 | $327.36 | $130.94 |
|---|---|---|
| Yr 2 | $329.93 | $181.46 |
| Yr 3 | $332.52 | $216.14 |
| Yr 4 | $335.21 | $221.24 |
| Yr 5 | $337.94 | $226.42 |
| Yr 6 | $340.64 | $231.64 |
| Yr 7 | $343.33 | $233.46 |
| Yr 8 | $346.01 | $238.75 |
| Yr 9 | $348.76 | $244.13 |
| Yr 10 | $351.36 | $245.95 |
| Yr 11 | $354.11 | $247.88 |
| Yr 12 | $356.87 | $249.81 |
Effective: January 1, 2028
| Yr 1 | $338.00 | $135.20 |
|---|---|---|
| Yr 2 | $340.65 | $187.36 |
| Yr 3 | $343.33 | $223.16 |
| Yr 4 | $346.11 | $228.43 |
| Yr 5 | $348.93 | $233.78 |
| Yr 6 | $351.71 | $239.16 |
| Yr 7 | $354.49 | $241.05 |
| Yr 8 | $357.26 | $246.51 |
| Yr 9 | $360.10 | $252.07 |
| Yr 10 | $362.78 | $253.95 |
| Yr 11 | $365.62 | $255.93 |
| Yr 12 | $368.47 | $257.93 |
Effective: January 1, 2025
| Yr 1 | $302.66 | $121.06 |
|---|---|---|
| Yr 2 | $305.03 | $167.77 |
| Yr 3 | $307.43 | $199.83 |
| Yr 4 | $309.92 | $204.55 |
| Yr 5 | $312.44 | $209.33 |
| Yr 6 | $314.94 | $214.16 |
| Yr 7 | $317.42 | $215.85 |
| Yr 8 | $319.90 | $220.73 |
| Yr 9 | $322.44 | $225.71 |
| Yr 10 | $324.85 | $227.40 |
| Yr 11 | $327.39 | $229.17 |
| Yr 12 | $329.94 | $230.96 |
Effective: January 1, 2024
| Yr 1 | $291.02 | $116.41 |
|---|---|---|
| Yr 2 | $293.30 | $161.32 |
| Yr 3 | $295.60 | $192.14 |
| Yr 4 | $298.00 | $196.68 |
| Yr 5 | $300.42 | $201.28 |
| Yr 6 | $302.82 | $205.92 |
| Yr 7 | $305.21 | $207.54 |
| Yr 8 | $307.60 | $212.24 |
| Yr 9 | $310.04 | $217.03 |
| Yr 10 | $312.35 | $218.65 |
| Yr 11 | $314.80 | $220.36 |
| Yr 12 | $317.25 | $222.08 |
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First officer rates are set as a percentage of the captain rate for the same year (40% in year 1, rising to 70% from year 9).
First-year first officers are paid at second-year rates for open time (Section 2.F.3).
The contract becomes amendable Jan 1, 2029. The January 2028 raise is the last one it schedules; we don't estimate any change after that.
Source: Agreement between Southwest Airlines Co. and the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (amendable Jan 1, 2029; MEV#4, updated Jan 16, 2026), Section 2.E Captain Pay and 2.F First Officer Pay, pp. 2-3 to 2-4. · last checked 2026-10-18
Bases & crashpads
Unverified. We couldn't confirm a reliable source for this yet.
Domiciles are behind an FAQ toggle we couldn't read.
Bases source: https://careers.southwestair.com/us/en/pilots/ · last checked 2026-10-18