Top 4 Southwest Airlines Competitors

Southwest Airlines, commonly called Southwest, is a popular low-cost airline in the United States. It is primarily based in Dallas, TX, but its various operating bases lie in LA, Las Vegas, Orlando, Denver, Baltimore, Houston-Hobby, Oakland, Atlanta, Chicago-Midway, Phoenix-Sky Harbor, and Dallas-Love.

Name	Southwest Airlines
Founded	1967
Headquarters	Dallas, TX, US
SIC Code	4512
Status	Public, Independent Company
Industry Sector	Airlines
Employees	54,448
Trading Symbol	NYSE: LUV

Founded more than 54 years ago by Herbert Kelleher and Rollin King, it was initially known as Air Southwest. The name was changed to Southwest Airlines in 1971 when it began its intrastate operations. Today, it is the biggest low-priced carrier airline in the world, but many other airlines have come to the fore over the years. Let us take a look at the top 4 competitors of Southwest Airlines.

Southwest Airlines similar companies:

American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Air France KLM, Alaska Air Group, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines

Who is Southwest Airlines Biggest Competitor?

The biggest competitor of Southwest Airlines is Delta Air Lines. Established nearly a century ago (1925), it was initially developed for the purpose of aerial crop dusting in Macon, GA. Today, Delta Air Lines generates revenue of $47 billion, more than twice that of Southwest ($22 billion).

How Southwest Airlines makes Money

The business model of Southwest Airlines utilizes the rolling hub strategy, which involves scheduling back-to-back flights to and from various popular destinations during peak hours, thus ensuring that the great influx of passengers and packages are appropriately handled.

Airlines

The airline industry is pretty vast, given that it freights passengers as well as packages from one place to another every single day with relatively affordable rates.

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines generates the highest revenue among the other companies on this list. Its rates may not necessarily match those of Southwest, but its reach is much larger, given that it schedules more than 5400 flights every day, and operates in over 50 countries on six continents.

Airlines

Did you know that Delta Air Lines founded one of the largest airline alliances in the world, SkyTeam? Its subsidiaries include the likes of Virgin Atlantic and Endeavor Air, and it owns a fleet of 750 crafts.

United Airlines

Established in 1926, United Airlines is currently headquartered in Chicago, IL. Its operations are similar to Delta Air Lines, with operations on six continents and a healthy presence throughout the US. It accumulates a revenue of more than $43 billion.

Airlines

United Airlines consists of a fleet of over 800 aircrafts, mostly of Boeing or Airbus origin. Its MileagePlus and United Club programs are extremely popular among customers.

American Airlines

American Airlines was founded in 1926, and its operations were started almost 10 years later. It is presently based in Fort Worth, TX, and the organization generates revenue of nearly $17 billion.

Airlines

The total number of hubs that American Airlines operates from is 10, of which the Fort Worth one is the biggest. The company manages over 200 million passengers daily between their nearly 133,000 employees.

JetBlue Airways

Over merely 21 years of its reign, JetBlue Airways has managed to climb up to the seventh rank in North America, an amazing feat! Headquartered in Long Island, NY, it contributes a revenue of close to $8 billion to the airline industry.

Airlines

Employing nearly 22,000 people, JetBlue manages more than a thousand flights on a daily basis, both domestic and international. Its international destination includes Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Conclusion:

The Top 4 Southwest Airlines Competitors: Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways. Together, they contribute revenue of approximately $137 billion between their cumulative 400,000 employees.

Competitor Stats:

Name	Founded	Headquarters	Employees
Delta Air Lines	1925	Atlanta, GA, US	91,000
United Airlines	1926	Chicago, IL, US	93,000
American Airlines	1926	Fort Worth, TX, US	133,700
JetBlue Airways	2000	Long Island, NY, US	22,000