Who owns Southwest Airlines?
Southwest Airlines is owned by Southwest Airlines Co. (the United States, NYSE: LUV).[1]
Evidence: Southwest Airlines Co. Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-02-05, SEC EDGAR, 5 February 2026. Verified from filings; last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Southwest Airlines Co. verified
- Owner HQ
- 🇺🇸 United States, Dallas
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, Dallas
- Founded
- 1971
- Category
- Travel & transport › Airlines
- Parent ticker
- NYSE: LUV
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines is a US passenger airline headquartered in Dallas, Texas, which its 10-K says began service on 18 June 1971 with three Boeing 737 aircraft serving Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. At 31 December 2025 it operated 803 Boeing 737 aircraft, all of them 737-700, 737-800 or 737 MAX types, to 117 destinations in 42 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and ten near-international countries.
Ownership timeline of Southwest Airlines
- Current owner Southwest Airlines [1] verified
Where Southwest Airlines sits in Southwest Airlines
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Southwest Airlines ownership tree →
Other brands in airlines, and who owns them
The 509 brands in airlines on Brandtree belong to 341 owners. The largest is Lufthansa Group, with 10.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Air Dolomiti | Lufthansa Group | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| China Southern Airlines | China Southern Airlines | 🇨🇳 China |
| Air China | Air China | 🇨🇳 China |
| Aer Lingus | IAG | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| LATAM Airlines Brasil | LATAM | 🇨🇱 Chile |
| Air France | Air France-KLM | 🇫🇷 France |
| AirAsia | AirAsia X | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| Calm Air | Exchange Income | 🇨🇦 Canada |
About the owner: Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines is a publicly listed company headquartered in Dallas, United States. Brandtree records 1 brand under its control, and it is listed as NYSE: LUV.
Southwest Airlines Co. is a Dallas-based US passenger airline whose 10-K says it operates Southwest Airlines, a major carrier serving the United States and near-international markets. It runs a single brand and has no separately branded subsidiary airline in its filing. At the end of 2025 it operated 803 Boeing 737 aircraft to 117 destinations.
Southwest Airlines: full profile, brands and acquisition history →
🇺🇸 Southwest Airlines and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,399 brands that began in the United States. 461 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Southwest Airlines is not one of them.
- ABF Freight — ArcBest 🇺🇸
- ABX Air — ATSG 🇺🇸
- Adcom Express — Radiant Logistics 🇺🇸
- Advanced Air — Advanced Air 🇺🇸
- Air Wisconsin — Air Wisconsin 🇺🇸
- Alaska Airlines — Alaska Air Group 🇺🇸
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Southwest Airlines?
The parent company of Southwest Airlines is Southwest Airlines Co., a publicly listed company headquartered in the United States.
Is Southwest Airlines American?
Yes. Southwest Airlines originated in the United States in 1971 and its owner, Southwest Airlines Co., is also headquartered in the United States.
Is Southwest Airlines still owned by Southwest Airlines Co.?
Yes. As of 4 October 2026, Southwest Airlines is still owned by Southwest Airlines Co. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Southwest Airlines Co. Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-02-05 — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 10-K, published 5 February 2026; retrieved 4 October 2026.
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